Less-known facts about Manny Paquiao

Now that Manny Paquiao is now being referred to by many as "the greatest fighter" that has ever lived, I am sure people around the world would like to know more about him. Here is a list of some less-known facts about Manny.

(1) His real name is Emmanuel Dapidran Paquiao. He became known in the Philippines as Manny Paquiao. It was only in the US where he earned the monicker "Pacman" obviously due to their initial difficulty in pronouncing his last name.

(2) His real "hometown" is General Santos City, not Sarangani Province. Although he was born in the province of Bukidnon (translates to mountainous in English), he really grew up in General Santos City, known as the tuna capital of the Philippines. He has transferred his residence to Sarangani to run as congressman (member of the Philippine House of Representatives) for the province's lone legislative district.

(3) Paquiao's record is not spotless. Early in his career, he lost to fellow-Filipino, Rustico Torrecampo, via a third round knockout.  Later, he also lost to a Thai, Medgoen Singsurat, also known as Medgoen 3K Battery, after struggling to make weight. Finally, he lost to Erik Morales via unanimous decision in the first match of what later became a trilogy.

(4) Like majority of males in the Philippines, Manny loves basketball. As was shown in the Paquiao vs Hatton HBO 24/7 reality show, he actually plays with neighbors on an outdoor cement court near his mansion in General Santos City. He also owns a basketball team known as MP Warriors of Gensan which plays in the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association league. (Added on May 6, 2009)

(5) Paquiao is the only Filipino who was voted among Time Magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world for 2009. He ranked no. 22 ahead of Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and the Dalai Lama. He is one of the few athletes on the list, together with Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal and Alex Rodriguez. (Added on May 6, 2009)

Know more about our Pambansang Kamao? Please tell us by posting it on the comments section or any where else for that matter. Congratulations to Manny. You really make us proud.