In an interview on the Guardian website, Neeson, best known for his work in movies like "Schindler's List" and "Taken, said that like Manny, he also started boxing at a young age.
"I was a boxer as a kid, from the age of nine to about 17. But Manny was brought up in a f*cking shack with rebels firing guns and stuff. He was facing death on a daily basis. And not having food to eat! That’s rock, rock bottom. What a foundation to build your future on; there's nowhere to go but up. So, when he fights, beside his natural talent – which is phenomenal – you’ve got this f*cking anger. But it’s a very controlled anger. He's fighting not just for himself, but for all of the Philippines," he said.
On the other hand, Neeson said he has not seen any of Pacquiao's movies except for a few clips. Pacquiao has acted in eight movies included Wapakman in 2009.
"I saw a sample of them on the documentary and it threw me a little bit. I thought, OK … maybe let’s save those for another day," Neeson said.
Aside from acting, Pacquiao has also dabbled in TV hosting, recording and even coaching a professional basketball team. He is the current congressman of Sarangani.
Neeson is the narrator in the Pacquiao documentary "Manny." He told the Guardian that he won a few titles when he was still an amateur boxer.
Co-director Ryan Moore earlier said he chose Neeson to narrate the documentary because he wanted an actor who understood the boxing struggle.
"There were a few celebrities, a few Hollywood actors I wanted to use and one of them was Liam Neeson. Because growing up in Ireland, he was a boxer. He had something like 40 amateur fights. In fact, that signature broken nose he has is actually from boxing," explained Moore.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
