PHILIPPINES: BOXING - Thousands of fans line the streets of Manila to welcome home boxing hero Manny Pacquiao after he defeated his Mexican rival in Las Vegas

Thousands of cheering fans lined the streets of Manila on Friday (November 24) to welcome home boxing hero Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao after his victory over Mexico's Erik Morales in their World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight rematch in Las Vegas. Pacquiao knocked down Morales with a flurry of punches in the third round of last weekend's much-anticipated fight, after Morales had won a decision in March 2005 and Pacquiao stopped the Mexican in the 10th round of a rematch in January. Pacquiao has long been a celebrity in the Philippines, endorsing brands of beer, fast food, pain killers and karaoke microphones. He has appeared in movies and TV sitcoms and recorded songs in the Tagalog language. "Manny, Manny," crowds chanted as he smiled and waved from a truck festooned with the country's flag that wound its way through the heart of the congested capital of 12 million people. Confetti rained down from rooftops to the sound of sirens, horns and a brass band. "We are very happy in the city of Manila to greet Manny Pacqiao and the great, great joy and honour that he brings to the country as a whole," said Lito Atienza, Manila Mayor. Pacquiao, from General Santos City in the south, is being courted by various political factions ahead of next year's congressional elections but says he has yet to make up his mind. His mother has advised him against getting into politics, newspapers reported recently.

ITN Source | November 25, 2006

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