Manny Pacquiao: 30 things you didn’t know about him

His name is Emmanuel 'Manny' Dapidran Pacquiao. Pacquiao owns fighting cocks Sylvester Stallone wants to act alongside him in a movie His fourth child – a daughter named Queen Elizabeth (or 'Queenie') – has dual nationality as she was born in the US. The infant also has 48 godparents He plays ‘Manny Pacquiao’ in a soap opera in The Philippines A close friend says “He’s a terrible actor”. He is the only Filipino boxer to appear on a postage stamp He carried the flag for The Philippines at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games He has had three hit ‘singles’ in The Philippines He gives education scholarships for 250 children through his foundation He has had the titles ‘National Fist’ and ‘National Treasure’ bestowed upon him by the Philippines government There have been kidnap threats on his children It is written into Philippine law that the army will go to Pacquiao's aid if his family is in danger. He is a close friend of President Gloria Arroyo, and was visited by Bill Clinton this week He trains for his fights up until one day before he goes into the ring In 14 years as a professional, Pacquiao has won world titles in four weight divisions – from 7st 8lb to 9st 9lb, at flyweight, super bantamweight, super featherweight and lightweight. He has also fought at the 10st 7lb limit. In a Time magazine online poll to find the 100 most influential people of 2009, Pacquiao has so far garnered more than 20 million votes. His early life was spent living in a shanty town, sleeping on cardboard boxes. In 1990, he witnessed James 'Buster' Douglas defeat the seemingly invincible Mike Tyson in Tokyo – Pacquiao's first encounter with boxing, which led him to dream of a career in the ring. He made his first punchbag out of a cardboard box stuffed with clothes He has worked as a gardener and construction worker, and sold donuts and iced water on the streets. He turned professional at 17, and became a rising star on a televised weekly boxing show in the Philippines called Blow by Blow. He won the World Boxing Council flyweight belt in Thailand, against Chatchai Sasakul, in December 1998, at the age of 19. He first fought at the MGM Grand in 2001 a late replacement against the International Boxing Federation super bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo 'Hands of Stone' Ledwaba. Pacquiao stopped the South African Ledwaba in the sixth round. Since 2001 only four of Pacquiao's 18 fights have taken place in his native country, with half of them in Vegas, the world's fight capital. He has a Jack Russell terrier - with whom he shares the nickname 'Pacman'. The dog comes with him on training runs. When he was younger, his pet dog was cooked and eaten by a friend of his father’s. Pacquiao lives in a presidential-style mansion in General Santos City, Mindanao, with his wife, Jinkee, and their four children. The compound is manned 24/7 by armed security guards. Last September he was sworn in as a member of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Free Filipino party. On May 17 2007 Pacquiao was defeated in the congressional elections by Darlene Antonino-Custodio, running for the Nationalist People's Coalition, who received 139,061 votes to Pacquiao's 75,908. He intends to run for congress in The Philippines in 2010. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/5257484/Manny-Pacquiao-30-things-you-didnt-know-about-him.html