Manny Pacquiao mesmerized the largely Chinese crowd on Thursday when the Filipino star held his media day in General Santos City.
A month before he meets Brandon Rios at The Venetian in Macau, Pacquiao sparred eight rounds, four each with Fredrick Lawson of Ghana and Liam Vaughan of Ireland, leaving his handlers and promoter Bob Arum smiling all day.
About 70 mediamen from mainland China, Macau, and Hong Kong flew in Wednesday and even had dinner with Pacquiao in the fighter’s mansion a day before the sparring session.
There were also a handful of local scribes on hand but the majority were from China.
The Chinese media is keenly interested in the Pacquiao-Rios show because Olympic legend Zou Shiming is also fighting in the card before the main event.
The 15,000-capacvity CotaiArena is expected to be filled with Chinese supporters and Filipinos making the short trip from Manila.
Even overseas Filipino workers based in Hong Kong and Macau, a former Portuguese colony, are expected to troop to the venue to root for Pacquiao, who will be fighting for the first time in almost a year.
