Pacquiao still ‘hungry’ to fight after underwhelming pro basketball debut

*Manny on court: AP

FILIPINO boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is still “hungry” to fight, despite a dalliance with professional basketball that had his camp worried sick.
The 35-year-old, who has world titles in eight weight divisions under his belt, made a lacklustre pro ball debut on Sunday, a month before his World Boxing Organisation title defence against undefeated American Chris Algieri in Macau.
“I’m still hungry and I’m doing what I did before,” he said in a teleconference call with the press from his training camp in the southern Philippine city of General Santos.
“What we’re doing right now is to get back the hungriness and the focus and the killer instinct that the people want.”
Pacquiao said basketball, the number one sport in the Philippines, was his other love — but that he is fully focused on boxing.
“Basketball is also good to have, you know, footwork and balancing. It helps a lot,” he said, describing it as his “cross-training” activity.