Manny Pacquiao is looking at a poster celebrating his upcoming induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “I cannot imagine how far that I have come,” he says quietly.
Pacquiao’s English has improved markedly over the years, but words aren’t really necessary.
The grin creeping across his face and the prideful smiling eyes of the fighting senator from Sarangani Province in the Philippines reveal precisely how he feels about this latest accolade.
Such is the enormity and historical significance of Pacquiao’s achievements it is not hyperbole to suggest he can lay claim to three hall of fame careers in one – and has already packed enough into his 46 years for three lifetimes.
There was a destitute child afflicted by malnutrition before there was a beloved eight-division champion, who used his popularity as a platform for political office and became one of the most famous faces on the planet.
“I'm so honoured and grateful for them choosing me as a hall of famer,” Pacquiao tells The National in Dubai. “I'm so thrilled and amazed by my accomplishments in boxing. I never imagined that I'll be one of the hall of famers, so it's God's blessings to me that – where I came from and what I have done – are beyond even my own imagination when I started boxing.”
Dubai has become Pacquiao’s second home. An Emirates ID has been slotted into his wallet and a newly acquired golden visa ensures he can come and go as he pleases.
This year he plans to open a boxing academy in the emirate, while there are further business dealings, too. Gems Education has been approached to manage the network of schools he has built in the Philippines.
Last November he put on a show for thousands of fans at Global Village before returning to take in the New Year celebrations at Burj Khalifa.
A baseball cap might offer some disguise for incognito morning runs along Marasi Drive, but back in the lobby of his Business Bay hotel a large pair of mirrored aviators prove less effective as he prepares to discuss his big ideas for 2025.
“My plan is to put up a Manny Pacquiao sports academy, a Manny Pacquiao boxing academy. So that's our plan and we're about to start the business,” he says. “I like Dubai because it's fresh. I mean, the place is so nice and well-developed, it’s one of the fastest-growing nations in the world. So, it's nice to share my talents and my knowledge about sports with the younger generation.”
The UAE is never far from his thoughts. While Pacquiao is set to take his place in the hall of fame this summer, if it is up to him, his career will have one final flourish.
A fight with the WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios – 17 years his junior – is being targeted for late July. Las Vegas is the logical destination but Pacquiao says the UAE is also in the running.
“We are working right now, probably after this week we can finalise everything for the fight here in Abu Dhabi,” he says. “We are still negotiating. We were planning to fight in the United States in July but why not here? Bring him here.
“It's going to be the third week of July in Abu Dhabi for a world championship. We have had talks with his promoter.”
Should Pacquiao return to the ring for the first time since 2021 then it would take his record-breaking career into a 30th year having debuted, aged 16, back in 1995.
It’s astonishing to think he had already boxed 40 times, amassing a 37-2-1 record and winning world titles in two weight classes, before the fight that changed his life.
“I fought with [Marco Antonio] Barrera in San Antonio, Texas, in the Alamodome,” he recalls. “It was way back in 2003 and when I entered the arena it’s like I have no fans. Everybody was shouting for Barrera because at that time he was pound-for-pound [best boxer].
“He'd just beaten ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed and had three belts, four belts including the The Ring magazine title. So, the odds is like, a big difference. But the thing is, they don't really know me at that time.
“I think that [was me at my best]. For 12 rounds I feel like the first round. I don't get tired even after 12 rounds, more, another 12 rounds. I can fight. I can still fight.
“Amazingly, like punishing myself in that training … Every day I did 36 rounds, 36 rounds every day and the fight is 12 rounds. That's why, if you look at the fight, non-stop throwing punches to him and he got tired.
“My trainer Freddie Roach, he put money, $10,000, and he won $80,000 because he knows how I trained.”
After collecting Barrera’s prized scalp, Pacquiao began what seemed like a personal feud with the elite of Mexican boxing in a golden period at super featherweight.
“There's a lot of Mexican fighters and most of my opponents were Mexican, so that's why I learnt to speak Spanish,” he says. “I told them that it's not my intention to fight all of them, Mexican boxers, but it just happened that way because we are the same weight. I am just doing my job.”
Defeat to Erik Morales in March 2005 – a result he emphatically avenged twice – interrupted his hot streak, but that would be the last time he’d lose for more than seven years.
“Morales 1 was a classic fight,” he says. “I lost the first one because I suffered a head cut, a big cut in the third or fourth round, and it was hard to see my opponent so I lost the decision. But I said to my team and [promoter] Bob Arum to get me a rematch because I'm going to get my revenge – and I did.”
That run included a transcendent triumph over Oscar De La Hoya up at welterweight. If beating Barrera lit the fuse, then pulverising the ‘Golden Boy’ into retirement saw his career explode.
“Bob Arum asked me if I wanted to fight De La Hoya. I said to give me a few days to think about it. Like I said, I am studying the style of my opponents,” he says.
“De La Hoya is big. So, after a few days I call Bob up and say I will fight De La Hoya. From 135 [pounds] moving up to 147, so you can imagine, so big.
“No problem because I studied his style. What I did in the ring is exactly what I am thinking [would happen]. He is big, no need to stay in front of him. Step side to side, head movement and counter punching, everything. That is boxing.”
It was at that point that demand for a showdown with Floyd Mayweather gathered steam. Mayweather eked past De La Hoya on the cards, Pacquiao retired him in eight rounds. Ricky Hatton took Mayweather 10 rounds, Pacquiao annihilated him in two.
The welterweight rivals would occupy the top spots on the pound-for-pound list for years to come but Mayweather proved as elusive at the negotiating table as he was in the ring.
As it transpired, Pacquiao’s winning run was halted by a scandalous set of scorecards against Tim Bradley before his true nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, handed him the most violent defeat of his career.
With Pacquiao leading their series 2-0, alongside one draw, Marquez landed the punch of a lifetime to deliver a chilling knockout in their fourth meeting in December 2012.
Asked why Marquez was always a tricky opponent, Pacquiao says: “He is a counter-puncher, but for me it's not really that difficult. It just happened that we have not only a trilogy but fought four times and they were all great fights, and also I asked for the fifth and then Marquez didn't want to fight any more.
“I think he fought with Bradley after that but he didn’t want to fight with me again. And it’s because he won that fight by a lucky shot. I was about to finish him in that fight, in the sixth round.”
Knocked out heavily and with his legacy already secured, Pacquiao was implored to retire.
But he says: “When I lost in that fight, I'm not discouraged, I'm not disappointed or low in myself. I'm just getting inspiration to stand back [up] and fight back and study where I'm lacking for something. I'm studying, because in my boxing career, and in my life, I make boxing a science.
“Boxing is such a difficult sport and a hard sport, but I make it easier. I study it properly. That's why I'm able to capture eight different divisions [despite] my size and my weight.
“It’s because of studying about boxing. I studied all the styles of boxing, everybody. I learnt that in boxing 40 per cent is skill and 60 per cent is [mental]. In the actual fight in the ring you have to have a quick analysis, everything in a split second.
“Physical, you can develop your footwork, you can develop your head movements, your punching. [But] what punches does my opponent not know? He knows everything, all the punches. But the thing is how you execute and how you prepare your mind’s condition. That's it. That is boxing.”
If defeat to Marquez was hazardous to Pacquiao’s health it proved beneficial to his bank balance as Mayweather finally agreed terms some five years after a fight had first been mandated.
Their rivalry was consummated in May 2015 as the pair delivered what was the highest-grossing fight in history but an epic flop inside the ring.
Pacquiao was blamed for failing to force the action, but it has since emerged he was injured. Despite the consensus being to the contrary, he maintains that he won the fight.
Asked if it would have gone differently had it happened in 2010, Pacquiao says: “Even in that year, 2014 or 2015, no problem to me, it just happened that during my training I injured my shoulder.
“It really hurt, like an injury where I cannot raise my hands. It was a rotator cuff, the nerves … so no strength and no power.
“That was less than two weeks before the fight. Can you imagine? The tickets sold out, everything is ready, all of the media went to Las Vegas already, [from] all over the world, even the smallest station of TV went to Las Vegas.
“It was the first time that it happened like that. The tickets are sold out, I don't want to disappoint all the fans, all the media, the press. The fans are already in Vegas.
“But even though I have an injury, if we review the fight, if you review the fight, slow motion and count every hit – I'm still leading the fight. If you review, because I did, review every punch, every punch that connected to him and to me, I won by two rounds.”
Pacquiao went back to work, competing with the next generation of fighters at 147lbs. He wrapped up and won a trilogy with Bradley, regained a welterweight belt against Jessie Vargas before losing it to Jeff Horn, and then outclassed Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner.
In 2019, at 40, he was a champion again when he upset the previously unbeaten Keith Thurman – 10 years younger than him – for the WBA crown.
“I was just teaching him a lesson,” Pacquiao laughs. “I told him, you are the student and I am the professor. I want to teach you. He was a champion and younger than me but it depends on how you train and how you prepare.”
Two years later he lost to Yordenis Ugas in a fashion that suggests it might be unwise to fight again at the championship level, but even the greats, and perhaps especially the greats, find it hard to walk away. After all, it’s that same unrelenting mindset that made them great in the first place.
Boxing might be a brutal and at times ugly endeavour, but there is beauty in how it can lift up underdogs. Pacquiao is the ultimate underdog. He wouldn’t be the same without boxing, and boxing wouldn’t be the same without him.
“I think what I am most proud of is that I give inspiration to the younger generation. I am sure. Maybe not everyone, but a lot of them,” he says. “That’s the accomplishment that even when you are gone, they will remember you.
“The position [you reach] or whatever, people will forget it. But what you give to the people, and if you inspire them, they will never forget you. That’s a legacy you one day leave in this world.”
PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
1 Man City 26 20 3 3 63 17 63
2 Liverpool 25 17 6 2 64 20 57
3 Chelsea 25 14 8 3 49 18 50
4 Man Utd 26 13 7 6 44 34 46
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5 West Ham 26 12 6 8 45 34 42
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6 Arsenal 23 13 3 7 36 26 42
7 Wolves 24 12 4 8 23 18 40
8 Tottenham 23 12 4 8 31 31 39
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
WISH
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs%20
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
England Test squad
Ben Stokes (captain), Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts
'The%20Alchemist's%20Euphoria'
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio
Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)
Engine 4.7L V8
Transmission Six-speed automatic
Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
