by Nick Giongco
Sen. Manny Pacquiao finds himself in the company of the world’s most iconic figures when he speaks before the academe of Oxford and Cambridge on Nov. 5 and 6.
“To be invited to these beacons of higher learning to speak to their students is indeed a tremendous honor,” said Pacquiao. “I treasure moments like these where I can share my story and my culture, as well as exchange ideas, with the next generation of leaders.”
Pacquiao, the only boxer to win world titles in eight divisions, will be joined in the trip to England by wife Jinkee and twin sister Janet, aide de camp Steve Jumalon, Senate staffers Jojo Sta. Teresa and David Sisson, lawyer Tom Falgui and Joe Ramos, who has been tapped to handle Pacquiao’s boxing affairs.
Pacquiao’s appearance within the hallowed grounds of Oxford and Cambridge, England’s top two universities whose roots stretch back to the 1800s, will put him alongside such celebrated personages like Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, former US Presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama.
Other renowned leaders and personalities who have graced Cambridge include
Margaret Thatcher, Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen Hawking and Buzz Aldrin.
Pacquiao, who turns 40 on Dec. 17, is gearing up for the first defense of the World Boxing Association welterweight title he won last July in Malaysia.
Premier Boxing Champions of Al Haymon, who represents Floyd Mayweather and Adrien Broner, Pacquiao’s opponent on Jan. 19, 2019 in Las Vegas, recently signed up the Filipino icon and part of the deal is the staging of a rematch with Mayweather next year.
