American boxing superstar Bernard Hopkins, like everyone else who follows the sport, has nothing but high praise for electrifying presence of the Philippine Powerhouse Manny Pacquiao.
“People want to see him, his culture. I think he comes across with that kind of star power,” says Hopkins. “Some fighters have it. Some fighters just have the star. Then you got star power. Then you have the fighter who just captivates the imagination of the people. This guy’s a little bit more marketable than any other fighter that’s under – including myself – that Golden Boy has, I’m not saying that nobody’s marketable. But he brings…he’s just an exciting fighter. Everybody’s paying attention to him. I know HBO is. And everybody loves his style and his fight game.”
Wow, that’s some pretty straight talk from the king of telling-it-like-it-is himself Bernard Hopkins, to admit that Top Rank presently has the upper hand in promoting superstar boxing attractions. “He’s the guy to watch. In this new generation of the next new fighters they’re transitioning into now, taking that torch and taking it into the next years to come. And he’s definitely on the top as one of the superstars in boxing right now.”