Friday, 07 August 2026 · Philippines
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Daboy to friend Manny Pacquiao: ?This time, I will miss your fight?

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A New Crown, the Power of Innovation, and the Eternal Legacy of Sal Sánchez
A New Crown, the Power of Innovation, and the Eternal Legacy of Sal Sánchez
By Mauricio Sulaimán / WBC President / Son of José Sulaimán

A new world champion shook the boxing world on Saturday with a display of courage, valor, …

Manny Pacquiao couldn?t believe when ailing actor Rudy Fernandez called him up days before the cancer-stricken idol of Philippine movie went home to the Philippines after undergoing alternative treatment in the United States.

?Manny, baka hindi na ako makapanood sa laban mo sa June 28 (I may not be able to watch your fight on June 28 anymore, Manny),? sources from the camp of the boxing champion in his apartment in La Brea, Los Angeles, California quoted the 56-year-old actor popularly known as ?Daboy? as saying.

The conversation lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes where both boxer and actor offered prayers and wished each other good luck, sources added.

Fernandez has been battling periampulary cancer and was reportedly released from a Manila hospital after his body rejected a third cycle of chemotherapy.

Fernandez has been under the Rexin-G program (a ?targeted gene therapy) since February. The cancer affects the area where the ducts from the liver and the pancreas enter the small intestines.

Sources said Pacquiao ?was saddened? by Fernandez?s message and wished the actor would be able to recover even if the cancer has reportedly entered his liver.

?Manny was sad because he considers Daboy a friend who never missed his fights,? said the source who accompanied the 29-year-old Gen. Santos City phenom in his recent promotional tour in Berkeley, California where PAcquiao had a ?cordial? meeting with the32-year-old Diaz.

Fernandez and wife Lorna Tolentino left for Los Angeles March 5 for therapy en route to Las Vegas, Nevada where they watched Pacquiao?s fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Meanwhile, World Boxing Council (WBC) lightweight champion David Diaz did not predict a knockout win in his title defense versus Pacquiao dubbed ?Lethal Combination? but vowed to keep his crown and remain as world champion after June 28.

Columns
A New Crown, the Power of Innovation, and the Eternal Legacy of Sal Sánchez
A New Crown, the Power of Innovation, and the Eternal Legacy of Sal Sánchez
By Mauricio Sulaimán / WBC President / Son of José Sulaimán

A new world champion shook the boxing world on Saturday with a display of courage, valor, …

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