World Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao to Endorse Pony Footwear in the Ring

World Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao to Endorse Pony Footwear in the Ring

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Pony International, today announced that boxing superstar Manny "The Destroyer" Pacquiao will wear a custom PONY "PacMan" boxing shoe in this weekend's highly-anticipated, blockbuster showdown against Erik Morales at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 19.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030429/GBMILOGO) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030915/LAM047LOGO)

The super featherweight world title fight will be telecast worldwide and will see the Philippine superstar wear PONY in the ring and endorse the brand's footwear in future bouts. Pacquiao also wore PONY in the ring during his December fight in the Philippines, a 4th-round TKO against Fahsan 3K Battery. Pacquiao rose to prominence by shocking the boxing world with his victory over Marco Barrera and was the super bantamweight world champion for three years until 2004 before moving to featherweight.

"Pound-for-pound, Manny is one of the best boxers in the world without a doubt," says Killick Datta, CEO of Global Brand Marketing, Inc., the majority owner of Pony International. "His popularity in Asia and the immense respect he has earned within the boxing establishment for his skill and ferocity in the ring makes him a natural fit with PONY and our boxing tradition."

To outfit Pacquiao for this weekend's showdown, PONY rushed several different versions of his boxing shoe from its Asian factory to test the shoes for comfort and fit during Pacquiao's sparring sessions. Pacquiao, who has had shoe problems in the past and is known for his quick side-to-side movement, selected the Center Ring Middleweight with soft full-grain leather upper as his fight night shoe in his preferred white/red colorway.

"I am thrilled to be working with PONY and to continue the PONY tradition in boxing," says Pacquiao. "Together we are going to be champions!"

Pony International

Pony was founded in 1972 and quickly became an athletic brand of influence. The athletes who wore Pony were always at the top of their game, such as Wilt Chamberlain, Pele, Joe Frazier, Earl Campbell, John Havlicek, Dan Marino, Reggie Jackson, and Larry Holmes. In March 2003, Global Brand Marketing, Inc. acquired a majority interest in Pony International from entertainment talent agency, The Firm. PONY currently sponsors several world champions including nine-time world champion heavyweight James "Lights Out" Toney.

For Press Inquires Contact: Muhammida El Muhajir melmuhajir@gbmi.net 212.459.2433 x125

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030915/LAM047LOGO http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030429/GBMILOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Pony International

CONTACT: Muhammida El Muhajir, +1-212-459-2433 ext. 125, melmuhajir@gbmi.net, for Pony International

------- Profile: Ent