“He absorbs his surroundings. He knows what’s going on around him, what people’s intents are, who’s got ulterior motives and who doesn’t, because we’ve had discussions on that. His comment is, ‘You think I’m stupid? I know.’ And he does.”
“Most times he is a very shrewd businessman. Then at times, too, his kindness comes out. If you push the right buttons, you are able to invade his kindness and get to his heart, and sometimes he makes a lesser deal than he could have got,” Koncz said.
Pacquiao’s popularity is so overwhelming — traffic is much lighter and crime declines when his fights are on TV, regularly drawing ratings of about 50 percent of viewers — that he talks about a run for office in the poverty-wracked country of 90 million people even though his first campaign for Congress fell short.
“Especially my province, there are a lot of poor people,” Pacquiao said. “I want to help them because I know what they feel right now. It is not easy to help other people. That is a big responsibility. I will focus on that for the meantime.”
He already helps out friends like Sonny Panding, a former sparring partner who shared a house with Pacquiao and other boxers in the early 1990s. Panding, who now drives a motorcycle taxi for a living, said Pacquiao regularly gives him about US$200 whenever they see each other.
He recalls the determination that set the champion apart.
“Manny was very excited with training and he trained very hard,” Panding said. “While I and the others were just getting ready to dress, he was already up and running. When we got halfway in the road run, he was already at the end, and when we got to the end, he was already back.”
While Pacquiao’s parents praise his help for others, they worry about him getting involved in politics.
“It’s really dirty,” said Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, who recalled how, with her husband unemployed, her son used to do odd jobs for US$3 a day to help out. She is deeply religious, a trait she has passed on to her son.
“I think I have been blessed by God,” Pacquiao said. “I think because I believe in God, I work hard in my profession, so that’s why my dreams come true.”
This week, it was time to fly to Los Angeles and start preparations for the fight with Hatton. Trainer Freddy Roach convinced Pacquiao a couple of years ago that he needs to train away from the distractions at home, and the results have been hard to argue with — Pacquiao has looked stronger, quicker and more focused in his last few fights.
“When I am in training, there is nothing that can disturb me,” Pacquiao said. “Once I start, there will be no distractions.”
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