SHANGHAI // Manny Pacquiao plans to open a government-backed chain of boxing academies across China to train potential future world champions.
The Chinese government will embark on the first “Manny Pacquiao Boxing Education Institute” in Beijing, with others to be built elsewhere in China later, Pacquiao announced on Manila television in a telephone call from Shanghai.
“The plan is to share with them my boxing knowledge,” said the World Boxing Organisation welterweight champion, who has held world titles in eight weight divisions.
“With a population of 1.4 billion, they have so many boxers. So I think they would be able to produce good fighters, like world champions. The important thing is to teach them the basics.”
The Filipino star, 35, was in China this week as part of a global promotional tour ahead of his November 23 welterweight title defence in Macau against unbeaten American challenger Chris Algieri.
He held talks with the Chinese authorities in the past two days for the “inauguration” of a company to undertake the project.
“They will put up the facilities, and if I have the time, I will visit them, like, once a month or once in three months to supervise them,” Pacquiao said.
Pacquiao did not reveal the project’s timetable or costs, and said the partnership could help thaw frosty ties between the Philippines and China, who are engaged in a tense territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
Pacquiao defended his decision to open boxing academies in China instead of his own country, and laughed off suggestions his project would deprive the Philippines of more world champions.
“In the Philippines we don’t have a problem [producing good boxers],” he said. “What our boxers need is more support. I’m already helping a few of them.”
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