By Norm Frauenheim-
LAS VEGAS – Two-hundred-and-fifty million dollars mean all kinds of things. A quick check with Google will deliver a list of hedge finds, tax evasion, lawsuits, Donald Trump, luxury condos, good bets, lousy bets and maybe Floyd Mayweather Jr. posing next to an open suitcase full of cash.
It’s all there, except for Manny Pacquiao’s generosity. It’s mostly been a story about anecdotes. He builds homes for Filipinos. He buys a fleet of new boats for a coastal town’s fishermen. His promoter, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, has called him the Pacific nation’s one-man social welfare system.
For the first time, however, maybe a number can be attached next to an inexhaustible generosity from a guy who never seems to stop fighting or giving. Best estimate: $250 million.
“Every income I receive in boxing, almost half of it goes to the less fortunate,’’ Pacquiao said Wednesday before a formal news conference at The Wynn for his pay-per-view bout against WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas at Thomas & Mack Saturday night (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET).
Pacquiao’s career income for purses and endorsements is at $500 million after his April victory over Timothy Bradley, according to Forbes. Half of that adds up to a lot homes, fishing boats and meals for Filipinos who need them. It also amounts to some – make that a lot – of political clout for the fighter who was elected to the Filipino Senate in May.
As a Senator, Pacquiao’s duties include membership on 15 committees, two of which he chairs, according to Arum. His life as a full-time Senator resumes on Tuesday, just a few days after at least one more fight as a full-time boxer. The question of whether he continues with full-time roles in both the political and boxing rings looms over his bout with Vargas.
“I’m sure he’s going to be known as a great Senator,’’ Vargas said during the news conference in a comment that said he intended to end the Filipino’s greatness in boxing.
Without boxing, it’s unlikely that Pacquiao could continue to give away the kind of money that is funding the current construction of 1,000 houses in Sarangani Province. All of the money for the land, homes and labor is coming out of Pacquiao’s pocket. That’s just the latest example of Pacquiao, a people’s champ in more than just one way.
“I don’t like politics,’’ he said. “I hate politics. After each fight, half of my income goes to the poor.
“But I don’t like to announce it.’’
He doesn’t like to brag, either. Not when he can give.
