Manny Pacquiao's son has hit back at criticism over footage of his fight on social media as he continues preparation for his second amateur outing.
The Filipino star made a successful start to his boxing career in San Diego last month, as he looks to follow in his father's footsteps who has one of the most legendary legacies in the sport's history. The 21-year-old has faced heavy scrutiny of his training and early fights, attracting a huge crowd to the gym for his maiden appearance.
“At first, I was just quietly going into it and stuff, but I guess it’s unavoidable. I’m trying my best. I have to get used to it,” Pacquiao Jr. told abs-cbn.com. “I’ve constantly been training. I’ve been training for months [in the US], and this is all I want: get more experience, get better.
“I think we’ll see in the future whether I will turn professional. Right now, I’m just trying to get better, to get more amateur fights, bring my record so we’ll see in the future.”
Pacquiao Jr, also named Emmanuel, has been training with his father's legendary trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym, in addition to the sport's current pound-for-pound great Canelo Alvarez. His father did not want him to progress into a professional boxing career having begun the early stages of his life as an influencer and model.
However things are taking a more serious step for the young star who will now take part in his second amateur outing on May 12. Promoter Tom Loeffler decided alongside Roach to add Pacquiao to the latest instalment of Hollywood Fight Nights.
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His opponent is yet to be named but Loeffler is excited to see Pacquiao's next generation take to the ring. “Having Emmanuel Jr on this show is really exciting. It’s gotten a lot of publicity," Loeffler said. "This will be his second amateur fight. This is a great connection with everything Freddie did and Manny Sr. Now, his son is following in his footsteps.
“We’re just excited [about] having him [on the show]. There’s a picture of GGG with Manny Pacquiao when GGG came here to congratulate Manny for one of his fights. Now having his son on UFC Fight Pass on May 12th in Montebello, for all the fans who want to come down, it’s exciting to give him the opportunity to fight on the show.”
Pacquiao's father is one of the most successful boxers of all time and remains part of the highest selling pay-per-view when he fought rival Floyd Mayweather in a historic bout. The legendary Filipino hung up his gloves last year after losing to Yordenis Ugas, and is now focusing on his political campaign.
