Manny Pacquiao stood in front of an audience at the Philippine Daily Inquirer Wednesday night.
He was the picture of a consummate professional. An eight-division World Champion who can claim his place in the Pantheon of boxing’s all-time greats.
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Pacquiao can achieve Valhalla, but the 36-year-old said he is still the kid from General Santos City who plied the streets, eager to get out of his life as a pauper.
“Manny Pacquiao is from the one of the poorest families,” Pacquiao said. “I slept in the streets, a flatted-out box serving as my bed, waking up to the noise of passing cars.”
“I’ve experienced eating nothing, passing the day with only water to drink, that was my life.”
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Using only his fists, Pacquiao has achieved success as an athlete all while remembering where he came from and God’s wily plan to bring him to where he is now.
“My boxing career is a blessing beyond my expectation, beyond my imagination,” Pacquiao said. “A kid from General Santos City who God made into this. The kid got known not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.” CFC