A BOXING fan from Malvern realised one of his biggest dreams when he travelled to Las Vegas and met his ring hero, Manny Pacquiao.

Martin Philpotts, of Oak Crescent, saw the Filipino star destroy Britain’s Ricky Hatton within two devastating rounds at the MGM Grand on Saturday, May 2.

During his four-night stay he had his photo taken with his idol at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, and also got to meet Hatton and in-ring legends Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Oscar De La Hoya.

“Manny Pacquiao is a huge idol of mine, I just really like his fighting style,” said Mr Philpotts. “The atmosphere at the fight was just amazing.

“I was thrilled to meet Manny Pacquiao. He was very quiet and polite and the trip was simply the experience of a lifetime.”