ARLINGTON, Texas ( MindaNews/ 11 March) - Thirteen days after the Pacquiao-Clottey welterweight title fight on Saturday ( Sunday in the Philippines), bid offers will be closed on an eBay auctioned photo of the Pacman with Ricky Hatton floored during their May 2009 boxing match.

But Marietta Cruz of nearby Flower Mound City has no plans of selling her copy of the same photo which was just recently signed by Pacquiao on Tuesday.

“I waited for hours to have this signed by Pacquiao,” Cruz told MindaNews shortly after boxing coach-trainer Freddie Roach handed her the signed photo.

Aside from the Pacman directly signing items and memorabilia, many coursed it through Roach, especially the boxing gloves. On several occasions, MindaNews observed Pacquiao conferring to Roach if the gloves being sought for signature came from him.

Cruz said she was about to give up when she saw the hundreds of fans during Pacquiao’s workout on Tuesday, many of whom were bringing items for signature as well.

But her daughter, Catherine, a 7th grader, was already insisting they check in at the hotel where the seven-division champion is also being billeted, just to get the signature. They live just seven miles away.

She said she bought the huge photo from a Hispanic-American for $40 shortly after they arrived at the hotel to watch the workout.

Various reports showed, last year alone, more than 500 Pacquiao-related items were sold in giant internet auction and trading sites, like Amazon and eBay. Price of the products played from a low of $0.99 to a high of $11, 800.

Most of the items consisted of signed shirts, boxing gloves, DVD and audio CDs, toys, games and MP3 downloads and albums.

In the last five years, boxing collection sites in the internet doubled with the US and the United Kingdom emerging as the top sellers of the $1 billion industry.

"I will have my signed Pacquiao photo laminated and displayed in my house,” promised Cruz as she and her daughter, Catherine, and six year old son, Tom, made their way to the hotel’s exit doors.

 “See yah at the Cowboys stadium this Saturday,” she shouted back. (Merpu Roa/MindaNews)

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