By Ronnie Nathanielsz
Filipino viewers of the Beijing Olympic Games coverage may have felt rightfully disappointed that boxing hero Manny Pacquiao, the flag bearer of the Philippine delegation got only a few seconds exposure but in the US, NBC gave Pacquiao the recognition he deserved.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who watched the delayed telecast of the spectacular opening ceremony said he was “very proud to see him (Pacquiao) carrying the flag and it was nice on American television.”
Arum said Pacquiao was given a pretty good play-up by the NBC anchors which underscored the fact that it was “a good, smart move” having him as the Philippine flag-bearer which is what President Arroyo had personally requested.
Veteran journalist Percy Della reported that NBC’s famed anchorman Bob Costas praised Pacquiao as one of the best boxers in the world and a hero among the people of the Philippines and said he was tapped to carry the Philippine flag “because of his stature in that country.”
The only other professional boxer who carried his nation’s flag at the march-past in Beijing ’s “Bird’s Nest” stadium was former WBC junior lightweight champion Alexis Arguello of Nicaragua .
On its 20th anniversary celebration in New York , the WBC headed by its president Don Jose Sulaiman honored both Arguello and the late great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde as the greatest junior lightweights in the first 20 years of the world organization’s history.
