BEIJING: Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao hopes to unearth the next Chinese world champion and help grow the sport with an academy in the largely untapped country.
The 38-year-old, who controversially lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title to Australian Jeff Horn in July, was in Beijing this week.
He and Chinese sports-development firm Dancing Sports held a signing ceremony that included plans to build a Manny Pacquiao International Boxing Academy in the capital, the company said.
Zhou Wenxin, chairman of Dancing Sports, said their tie-up would deepen Chinese-Philippine relations in boxing and beyond.
The academy will draft in coaches from abroad to help develop Chinese boxing, which has never had a truly world-class fighter. There is no public timeline for when it will be built.
China’s most famous boxer, Zou Shiming, lost his WBO flyweight belt when he was knocked out by Japan’s unfancied Sho Kimura in his first defense in July.
When Pacquiao’s plans for China were first announced in 2014, he said that he believed the partnership could help thaw frosty ties between the Philippines and China, who were engaged in a territorial maritime dispute in the South China Sea.
Relations have since improved considerably under current Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
At the time, Pacquiao defended the decision to open a boxing academy in China instead of his own country.
“In the Philippines we don’t have a problem (producing good boxers),” said Pacquiao, a hero in his home country and also a senator.
Filipino boxing hero Pacquiao launches bid to discover next Chinese world champion
Filipino boxing hero Pacquiao launches bid to discover next Chinese world champion
Saudi Pro League warns Al-Nassr’s Ronaldo no player is bigger than club
- Ronaldo did not take part in the club’s SPL win at Al-Riyadh on Monday and is now set to miss Friday night’s clash against Al-Ittihad
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League has warned Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo that “no individual – however significant – determines decisions beyond their own club” amid doubts over his future at Al–Nassr.
Ronaldo, reportedly unhappy at the club’s lack of transfer activity, did not take part in the club’s Saud Pro League win at Al-Riyadh on Monday and is now set to miss Friday night’s clash against Al-Ittihad.
In a statement issued to BBC Sport, a Saudi Pro League spokesperson said: “The Saudi Pro League is structured around a simple principle: every club operates independently under the same rules.
“Clubs have their own boards, their own executives and their own football leadership. Decisions on recruitment, spending and strategy sit with those clubs, within a financial framework designed to ensure sustainability and competitive balance. That framework applies equally across the league.”
The 40-year Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday amid reports he is on strike over the club’s lack of transfer activity.
Portuguese media outlet A Bola reported that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was unhappy that Al-Nassr, which is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has not strengthened its squad as it challenges for the league title.
“Cristiano has been fully engaged with Al–Nassr since his arrival and has played an important role in the club’s growth and ambition,” the Saudi Pro League spokesperson said.
“Like any elite competitor, he wants to win.
“But no individual – however significant – determines decisions beyond their own club.
“Recent transfer activity demonstrates that independence clearly. One club strengthened in a particular way. Another chose a different approach. Those were club decisions, taken within approved financial parameters.”
The Saudi Pro League spokesperson added: “The competitiveness of the league speaks for itself. With only a few points separating the top four, the title race is very much alive. That level of balance reflects a system that is working as intended.
“The focus remains on football – on the pitch, where it belongs – and on maintaining a credible, competitive competition for players and fans.”
