GILAS Pilipinas was not the first one Gianmarco Pozzecco, head coach of the Italian men’s basketball team, asked for when the Azzurri arrived in the country on Tuesday afternoon for the FIBA World Cup.
It was Manny Pacquiao.
“Manny Pacquiao, where is Manny Pacquiao?” Pozzecco, 50, blurted out while on his way out of the airport lobby.
“I want to fight with him,” added the one-time point guard-turned coach of the Azzurri with a big smile on his face.
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Everything of course, was said in jest as the truth of the matter, Pozzecco is a huge fan of the now-retired legendary Filipino boxer, the only fighter to win eight division world titles.
“I love Manny Pacquiao,” he said.
Like Pacquiao overcoming the odds to become one of boxing’s all-time greats, Gilas Pilipinas also carries the underdog status when it battles some of the world’s finest teams in the World Cup that officially comes off the wraps this Friday.
The Philippine team is in Group A together with Dominican Republic, Angola, and yes, Italy.
Gilas will be facing Pozzecco and the Azzurri, ranked No. 10 in the world, on Tuesday next week at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to end its campaign in the group phase.
Perhaps, Pacquiao could lend a helping hand by personally cheering Gilas on.
And meet Pozzecco as well, up close and personal.
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