Ring King Meets Basketball Royalty

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Ring King Meets Basketball Royalty
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Manny Pacquiao, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James The king of the ring met with basketball royalty on Wednesday.

The pound-for-pound boxing champion Manny Pacquiao made a surprise visit to Los Angeles Tuesday night.

And the reason:

“I have a pictorial with Kobe [Bryant] and Lebron James,” he said to the Asian Journal as he and his family came out of the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX. “I’m very excited and looking forward to seeing them.”

“That’s why he’s here,” said Pacquiao advisor Mike Koncz. “There’s a Nike shoot [Wednesday] with Kobe Bryant.”

Nike officials declined to comment about the commercial or photo shoot.

The set was off limits to media.

“We’re not commenting on the shoot at this time,” wrote Nike spokeswoman Jacie Prieto to the Asian Journal. “Thanks for your understanding.”

A commercial or photo shoot with basketball king James and NBA finals MVP Bryant signifies Pacquiao’s commercial crossover to the US mainstream. Pacquiao was just a feisty Filipino boxer known as a boxing hero in the Philippines and those who follow boxing.

Now, he’s truly becoming a crossover star, said Koncz.

“It started after the [Oscar] De La Hoya fight but then after the [Ricky] Hatton fight it really exploded,” added Koncz. “I’m very happy for that.”

Cotto Negotiations

Pacquiao also came to the US for another reason. On Wednesday, the 30-year-old Pacquiao, Koncz, and Pacquiao’s legal advisor Franklin Gacal met with Top Rank President Bob Arum to discuss Arum’s proposal for a match up against Puerto Rican boxer Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao does not mind a Cotto match up.

“It all depends on how the negotiations are going,” he said.

“[Floyd] Mayweather jr. was our first choice but obviously he has a commitment to fight [Juan Manuel] Marquez,” added Koncz. “Cotto is the next biggest draw. If you look at the pay per view numbers he’s drawn, it makes a logical business sense to go after him.”

There have been reports that doctors have diagnosed Pacquiao with an ulcer. He says it won’t affect his performance in the ring.

It’s just acid reflux, he said.

Pacquiao only stayed in the US for one day to shoot the commercial for Nike. He is expected to fly back out to the Philippines Thursday night.

After that no one is quite sure when Pacquiao will come back to the US to start training. Koncz said that one thing is certain Pacquiao will be back in the ring – whether it’s against Cotto or not – on a Saturday night in November.

( www.asianjournal.com )

( Published on July 10, 2009 in Asian Journal New York p. A1 )

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