With fight night fast-approaching, the beat goes on with training sessions for Manny Pacquiao as he goes for an incredible fourth matchup with Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez.
And as routinely as his still-lightning-quick hands move, the parade of visits from press outlets and celebrities have become the norm every time the fighting Congressman laces up his boots.
A good example would be last week’s “24/7 Special” with Jimmy Kimmel, and the untold story of his frustrations with Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez.
But last Tuesday, a special visit from icons of Manny’s second favorite sport – basketball – came over to pay homage to the Filipino legend. Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller were on hand to watch how Pacquiao makes his preparations, and even shot some hoops together.
Heck, you had to know they were gonna hoop. Basketball is, after all, the Unofficial National Sport of the Philippines. Just ask Rafe Bartholomew.
“Malaking karangalan na bumisita ang mga NBA Legends,” (It was a huge honor that these NBA Legends stopped by to visit) said Pacquiao.
Early that morning, Miller actually jogged with Pacman and his entourage, and later that day, he and Barkley came by training camp to pick up a few pointers.
The Chuckster was especially impressed, noting that a real punch from the champ “would probably hurt.“
(Images and video credits: Top Rank, NBA.com, TNT)
