Arguably the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time, and likely the Philippines’ most famous export — oh yeah, and also a sitting senator — Manny Pacquiao is finally getting his own wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Hong Kong in 2020, the museum said today.
On Instagram, the Hong Kong branch of the renowned London-based wax museum unveiled videos of Pacquiao as he’s being sketched, photographed, and measured for his likeness. Tussauds HK wrote, “Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come this 2020. Let’s all welcome the newest addition to @madametussaudshongkong’s lineup of star athletes, boxing champ Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao!”
In a statement sent to media, Tussauds HK said that it took six hours to trace the details of Pacquiao’s facial features and measure the boxer’s body.
“The Philippines continues to be one of our strongest markets and having Manny Pacquiao who is known globally for his achievements in sports is an honor for us. He is one personality that the attraction has been wanting to have and we cannot wait for the Filipino fans to see the figure in 2020,” Madame Tussauds Hong Kong Senior Marketing Manager BoBo Yu said in a statement.
“I am happy that I can raise the Philippine flag in this way.” Pacquiao said in the same statement.
“Madame Tussauds Hong Kong has many personalities including my fellow athletes so I am excited to stand beside them there,” the champ added.
The announcement was also quite timely, as it happens, because today is the boxer-slash-senator’s 41st birthday.
Footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, and basketball players Stephen Curry and Yao Ming are among wax athletes that Pacquiao will be soon be rubbing uncannily realistic shoulders with at Tussauds Hong Kong.
“It was a new experience for me,” he said, of the painstaking, detail-oriented process of creating the wax figure. “I appreciate the staff [of Tussauds] more.”
Pacquiao is only the second Filipino to have their likeness replicated at Tussauds after 2015 Miss Universe winner Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach.
What do you think about all this wax business? Is one Manny Pacquiao enough, or the more the merrier? Leave us a comment below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
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