GENERAL SANTOS CITY: Dedication in training and commitment to the sport he loves most was what newly crowned World Boxing Association welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao said was the secret of his getting back to competitive form that made him, among others, the only fighter in history to emerge as a crown holder in eight weight divisions.

“From the time the moment the fight against WBA titlist Lucas Matthysse was announced and since we, my training team and myself, pitched camp, I promised to dedicate myself to seriously prepare for this fight,” Pacquiao told this writer in an interview on board a Philippine Airlines flight Monday that brought him and his team from Kuala Lumpur to this, his called his home.