D Source's Mailbox: What Manny Pacquiao means to non-Filipinos (part 2 + video)

Good day fight fans! This is a follow-up piece to my mailbox article last week where one of my readers professed her admiration through an essay for Boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and shared her thoughts on what Pacquiao meant to boxing fans outside his Filipino fan base.

In this edition of my reader mail, I posted the Youtube video done by Kayla L. from New Jersey as promised in the article last week.

Also, Kayla's heartfelt piece regarding Pacquiao inspired a lot more readers to share their version of what Pacquiao means to them. I apologize if I can't post all of your e-mails. Thanks to all who wrote me and keep sending those feedbacks and comments.The interview I did with Paulie Malignaggi was actually a request from a reader. I will do my best to try to respond to all of you e-mails and interview fighters you want to hear from most.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)

On the subject of Pacquiao's fan base outside his Filipino fans, I really think it's phenomenal how Pacquiao has been embraced by so many people here in the US and around the globe as well.

Obviously, everybody loves a winner, but what sets Pacquiao apart is his humble and kind nature.

Whether it's signing hundreds of autographs for his fans, to giving money to charity and down to taking care of his friends and entourage, Pacquiao is as generous and classy as they come.

It shouldn't come as a surprise really that he has crossed over to mainstream consciousness as evidenced by the Hollywood celebrities and other sports celebrities that have acknowledged him like Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Kevin Garnett and even former US president Bill Clinton.

As I mentioned in my article "Why is the Philippines so Captivated by Pacquiao", to the outside world, the admiration Pacquiao is receiving from his countrymen may somewhat be extreme for their liking but it's just nice to hear that there are fans out there like Kayla who may not have lived a day in the Philippines or in a Filipino's shoes, but she gets the significance of Pacquiao's overall contribution to his community and the whole sport in general.

Pacquiao is unique. His accomplishments and hard work united a country and lifted the spirits of millions of people. Sports may be nothing more than entertainment to a lot of people, but Pacquiao stands for so much more. Whether you buy into it or not is your choice. But as an observer and examiner of fight sports, there is simply nobody else in the game right now like Manny Pacquiao.

In parting, I just want to really thank all of you who have been behind me since day one and to all the readers. I appreciate it! And to the handful of haters, "You can hate all you want, but you're just wasting your time. I will NOT stop because what I'm doing is a service to fight fans." God bless.



Source: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10947-Indianapolis-Fight-Sports-Examiner~y2009m8d29-D-Sources-mailbox-More-Pacquiao-love-from-nonFilipinos-and-Kaylas-video