Stallone: Pacquiao still a great fighter

MANILA, Philippines – Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone remains a huge fan of Manny Pacquiao.

This is despite the obvious decline in Pacquiao’s boxing ability, with the Filipino icon being a veteran of many professional fights.

Stallone was ringside when Pacquiao lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last year, a bout that ended up as the richest in boxing history.

To the 69-year-old actor, however, Pacquiao remains an elite boxer.

In a recent interview with Adam Smith and Johnny Nelson of Sky Sports, Stallone once again praised the Filipino.

"I still think Manny Pacquiao is a great, great, great fighter," he said.

Pacquiao will fight for the last time in April against Timothy Bradley, capping off an illustrious boxing career spanning over 20 years. Along the way, he has captured the hearts of many fans, including Stallone’s.

 “[Pacquiao] used to come from like 98 pounds and did whatever he did,” Stallone added, obviously aware of Pacquiao’s boxing feats that include a record eight world titles in as many weight classes.

In the interview, Stallone talked in detail about his latest film “Creed,” for which he has been nominated as Best Supporting Actor at this year’s Academy Awards for his role as Rocky Balboa.

Interestingly, Stallone got an Oscar Best Actor nomination for the same iconic role almost 40 years ago – in 1976, in the first “Rocky” film.

For his work in “Creed”, Stallone already won the Best Supporting Actor plum at the recent Golden Globes.

Notwithstanding Stallone’s success in the film industry, boxing has a special place in the actor’s heart.

Apparently, so does Pacquiao.