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    Pacquiao leaves for KL in charter flight for over 200 supporters

    Pacquiao leaves for KL in charter flight for over 200 supporters
    Jul 8, 2018

    THE countdown for Manny Pacquiao’s ring comeback begins on Monday when the legendary boxer travels to Kuala Lumpur to challenge Lucas Matthysse for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight championship.

    The 39-year-old Pacquiao departs for the Malaysian capital in style as he’ll be joined by more than 200 supporters composed of his team, family, and friends, during the four-hour flight from General Santos City aboard a chartered plane.

    The challenger’s entourage is scheduled to leave late in the afternoon as Pacquiao is expected to hold his final training in the country just before noon.

    Pacquiao’s departure gives him just about a week to settle in Malaysia before facing Matthysse in their 12-round title fight at the Axiata Arena.

    On Saturday, Pacquiao tapered off after holding his final sparring session by going two rounds with reigning Philippine junior welterweight champion Jerich Chavez and three rounds against unbeaten Australian lightweight contender George Kambosos Jr. at the Pacman Wild Card gym in GenSan.

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      The only eight-division world champion (59-7, 38 KOs) has sparred more than 100 rounds in the two months he spent in training camp between Manila and GenSan.

      This will be the first fight of the Philippine senator, in more than a year or since losing his International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight crown to Jeff Horn in Brisbane, Australia in July of 2017.

      In contrast to the ‘Pacman,’ Matthysse has already been in Kuala Lumpur as early as last week accompanied by a small entourage composed of lead trainer Joel Diaz, manager Mario Arano, and Golden Boy Promotions PR man Ramiro Gonzalez.

      Matthysse (39-4, 36 KOs) is making the first defense of his crown he won with an eighth round stoppage of Tewa Kiram of Thailand last January in Los Angeles.

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