the humble PACMAN...

LOS ANGELES, California, United States of America -- Mexican Assassin? No, I don't like you to call me bad names, you know. Right, I beat Barrera, but I was just lucky that time. Marquez, yes, I believe I won it. But that's finished already. I just start again. I'm happy. Filipino people always support me. I love to make friends. I don't care who's my opponent. All people are the same. Make room for Manny Pacquiao, the diplomat. That opening paragraph was culled from a doorstep statement made by Pacquiao when he was mobbed and stalled by Mexican media men on his way up to the Wild Card Gym on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila.) * * * Here's the rest of the interview with Mexican media: Filipinos, do you give away something to them, like money to the poor people? Yeah, every Christmas and if there's somebody in need. Erik Morales said you cannot move, you just stand still. That's his opinion. I'm here to do my best. I want to give a good fight and make people, especially the audience, happy. You've been training for nearly three months, isn't that too much, you could suffer from burnout. I don't think so. I have a very good coach and he knows if I'm overworked or not. Won't moving up to 130 pounds be a problem? Not really, because I also had to reduce when I fought Marquez for the featherweight title. How much do you weigh when you're not in training? Not much, 138 to 140 pounds. What do you do when you're not working for a fight? I stay with my family. I play basketball. I play pool. I love people. What else? I go to my farm. You have a farm? Yes, in General Santos, my hometown. What do you have there, horses? No fighting cocks, maybe 500 in all. You go to cockfights? Yes, on Sunday, after church, there are a lot people in the cockfight. I enjoy watching my cocks. I love people. Why don't you want to be called Mexican Assassin? Mexicans are not my enemies. Maybe there are just too many Mexican boxers. But everybody outside the ring, they are all my friends.