Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will join the Philippine delegation as he would promote the country’s bid to host the highly anticipated 2019 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup.
The 36-year-old Manny Pacquiao will be a big boost to the Philippines bid in the international competition because he is a well known sports personality not only in Asia but also from different parts of the world.
Manny Pacquiao confirmed that he would travel next month to the Japanese capital where FIBA would announce the host of the 2019 FIBA World Cup which was last hosted by Spain in 2014.
The basketball-crazy nation Philippines, qualified for last year’s FIBA World Cup in Spain, finishing 21st overall.
The Filipino boxing icon gained worldwide fame for holding a total of eight world titles in different weight cl(–foul word(s) removed–). He is also an avid basketball fan, he even controversially signed as a playing coach in the PBA for newcomer Kia Motors.
Manny Pacquiao has parlayed his boxing fame into a fortune in the entertainment industry, as a commercial endorser and even in politics, winning election as the congressman of a district in the poverty-stricken southern Philippines.