Manny Pacquiao autographs the spot where he punched Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido. Photo courtesy of Gloria Perlas Pulido
LOS ANGELES – In between trainings for his upcoming megafight against Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao has found the time to entertain guests at his mansion in Los Angeles.
Last night (Monday in Manila), Pacquiao received in his home, which also serves as the headquarters for Team Pacquiao, newly reelected Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido and his family.
“It was an absolute honor for (my wife) Gloria, our children and me to meet with Congressman Pacquiao,” said Pulido, who presented Pacquiao with a commemorative Cerritos 2015 Community Calendar.
Cerritos Mayor Mark Pulido presents Manny Pacquiao with a commemorative Cerritos 2015 Community Calendar. Photo courtesy of Gloria Perlas Pulido
Pulido said he talked to Pacquiao about his own fight in the political arena.
“We spoke about the challenges our local Filipino American community overcame to elect me as the first Filipino-American to the Cerritos City Council,” he said.
They also talked about the possibility of Pacquiao doing a show at the glitzy Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, where many famous musical artists have held concerts.
Pulido asked Pacquiao to punch him as hard as he could and then autograph the spot that he hit with his fist.
Pulido, who was re-elected March 3 to serve a four-year term, topped the city council elections for the second time. He drew the most votes ever recorded in the city’s election history when he was first elected to the council in 2011.
Los Angeles serves as a second home to Pacquao as he continues to train for his fight against Mayweather on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao will meet Mayweather at an exclusive news conference on March 11 (March 12 in Manila) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles to officially kick off the promotion for the bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The megafight has been predicted to break box-office record in boxing history. The event will be the only time they will appear together until fight week.
READ: Pacquiao, Mayweather face off in March 11 presser
The press conference has drawn a large contingent of media practitioners, who had to apply for credentials to be able to attend the event.
Pacquiao arrived in LA last Saturday and has been attracting crowds at the Wild Card Boxing Club, where he trains, and at Griffith Park, where he runs.
READ: Pacquiao trains in public, goes full Rocky Balboa
Pacquiao is trained by the assistants of Freddie Roach, who was in Macau to prepare Zou Shiming for his flyweight world title fight against Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng. which the Chinese Olympic gold medalist lost.
READ: Freddie Roach ward loses bid for flyweight title