Pacquiao’s appeal out of this world

By NICK GIONGCO

May 9, 2011, 11:16pm

Manny Pacquiao

 LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao’s popularity and appeal have grown out of proportion that it has come to a point when his opponent has become of little interest to the public.

“People are attracted to greatness,” promoter Bob Arum told the media horde that gathered late Saturday night following Pacquiao’s one-sided beatdown of Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand.

“What you are dealing with is a great athlete who is recognized all over the world. People want to watch him and see him perform,” said the 79-year-old Arum, who has promoted boxing since 1966 beginning with Muhammad Ali versus George Chuvalo.

Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division champion, has drawn record crowds lately and when he showcased his wares in Texas last year, the crowd came in droves.

Arum said the fans who turned out were there to see Pacquiao and didn’t care much about the chances of Mosley and even the likes of Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito last year at Cowboys Stadium.

“They all came to see Manny,” said Arum, who considers Pacquiao as the greatest fighter of the last 45 years.

Pacquiao’s allure stems from his mind-boggling wins over the biggest names in the sport the past few years.

The Mosley fight was Pacquiao’s 20th on US soil after making his splashing debut here in June 2001.