Italy coach finally meets boxing champ Manny Pacquiao

Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco finally got what he had been wishing for since his arrival in the country for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

On Thursday, the 50-year-old tactician met with Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.

LOOK: Team Italy head coach Gianmarco Pozzecco meets Filipino boxing legend and former senator Manny Pacquiao.

Photo: MPBL/Facebook pic.twitter.com/XyGiPOKgng

— GMA Sports (@gmasportsph) August 31, 2023

Italy's national team arrived in the country Tuesday last week and immediately, Pozzecco asked about Pacquiao. During his team's press conferences as well, Pozzecco was also consistently joking about the whereabouts of the eight-division world champion.

The meeting happened just a day after the Philippine Olympics Committee (POC) announced that Pacquiao is intending to represent the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Italy, meanwhile, is set to take on Serbia on Friday in the second round of the World Cup.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News