The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila is going to be massive, boxing legend Manny Pacquiao told DAILY TRIBUNE on Saturday.
The Thrilla, one of the greatest fights of all time, took place on 1 October 1975 with the Araneta Coliseum as venue of the world heavyweight title showdown between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
“I am looking forward to a colossal celebration of that fight,” Pacquiao said from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where he had been the last week for basketball, boxing and a few other events.
To make it truly unforgettable, Pacquiao plans to put up an unprecedented three world title fights on one night featuring Filipino fighters.
“Imagine holding not just one or two but three world championship fights on one night,” Pacquiao, who turns 46 on 17 December, proudly said.
Pacquiao’s weekly television show Blow-By-Blow, which promoted a world title fight last September, will be at the forefront of this much-awaited event in coordination with the World Boxing Council (WBC) that is headed by Mauricio Sulaiman.
Actually, the two personages had discussed this alongside the well-connected American dealmaker Sean Gibbons during the WBC chief’s visit in Manila early this year.
Pacquiao has yet to name the Filipino fighters who are going to be tapped but it is safe to say that whoever is still a world champion by that time would be included in the card.
The country currently has two world champions in minimumweights Melvin Jerusalem and Pedro Taduran.
Jerusalem is the WBC titleholder while Taduran is the International Boxing Federation ruler and they are expected to be showcased if they are still champions by next year.
A third Filipino puncher could be a hot world title prospect and picking one won’t be difficult given the abundance of worthy title challengers in the world ratings.
The Philippines has never hosted a triple world title fight and Pacquiao is determined to break boundaries by pulling off a mega event coinciding with the marking of the Thrilla’s golden celebration.
The initial plan is to bring in personalities who played a pivotal role in the Thrilla with Top Rank chief Bob Arum a potential visitor alongside who could still make the trans-Pacific flight.
Don King is still alive but hardly travels nowadays while referee Carlos Padilla is now based in Las Vegas.
Still, Pacquiao wants to come up with a memorable event.