Manny Pacquiao

Boxer

• Born: December 17, 1978
• Place of Birth: Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines

SPORT: Boxing

Early life

Manny Pacquiao, born in the Philippines on December 17, 1978, became a professional boxer in the light-flyweight division at sixteen. On January 1, 1995, he earned his first victory with a 4-round decision over Ting Ignacio. He won his next ten fights before being knocked out in the third round in a fight against Rustico Torrecampo. After this loss, he won eight straight and fought for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation flyweight championship. He knocked out Chokchai Chokwiwat in the fifth round. He won his next three fights, including a first-round knockout against Tanompdej Singwangcha, in Singwangcha's only defense of his title. He defeated Shin Terao in Japan, his first fight outside the Philippines.

The Road to Excellence

In December 1998, Pacquiao went to Thailand and knocked out Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round to capture the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title. He defended the title on April 24, 1999, knocking out Gabriel Mira in 4 rounds. He later lost the title in Thailand on September 17, 1999, in a third-round knockout by Medgoen Singsurat.

Pacquiao left the flyweight division and jumped over the super flyweight and bantamweight divisions. He premiered as a super bantamweight on December 18, 1999, beating Reynante Jamili in Manila, Philippines, for the WBC international title. Pacquiao defended this title five times before going to the United States. He fought the highly regarded Lehlo Ledwaba at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. He knocked him out in the sixth round on June 23, 2001, procuring Ledwaba's International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantamweight title. He tried to unify the super-bantamweight titles when he faced World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Agapito Sanchez in San Francisco, California. The fight was ruled a technical draw after six rounds when it was halted because of a cut on one of Pacquiao's eyes. By November 2003, Pacquiao had defended his IBF title four times.

The Emerging Champion

Pacquiao next fought Ring magazine's featherweight champion, Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera had earned his title by beating undefeated Naseem Hamed. Because of a glut of sanctioning organizations—WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF, and others—many of which had disreputable reputations, Ring magazine, the so-called bible of boxing, created its own titlists. Pacquiao was ranked the number-one super bantamweight when he took on Barrera. Barrera, a featherweight, was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. In an upset, Pacquiao dominated Barrera, winning via eleventh-round knockout in San Antonio, Texas. Six months later, Pacquiao fought Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBA and IBF featherweight champion, to a controversial draw. Pacquiao knocked Marquez down three times in the first round, but Marquez counterpunched effectively. Afterward, one of the judges admitted to scoring the first round incorrectly, a mistake that cost Pacquiao the decision.

In March 2005, Pacquiao took on Erik Morales, a fighter known for his bitter three-fight rivalry with Barrera. Pacquiao lost the decision, but he won his next two fights in January 2006 and November 2006. Both were by knockout. In October 2007, Pacquiao fought Barrera again and won a unanimous decision. After these fights, he was ranked in the top three of most "pound-for-pound" lists. On March 15, 2008, in a rematch against Marquez, Pacquiao won the WBC super-featherweight title via a split decision after knocking down the Mexican fighter in the third round. On June 28, 2008, he won a title in his fifth weight class by beating lightweight champion David Diaz.

Continuing the Story

In the Philippines, Pacquiao transcended the sport of boxing. He became a pop icon. He also appeared in action movies and recorded music and won political office as he became a congressperson in the Philippines in 2010. Before his first rematch with Morales, he entered the ring to his own song, "This Fight Is for You," a song recounting his struggles in the ring. The song became a hit in the Philippines when he won the rematch. On June 21, 2006, Pacquiao: The Movie was released in the Philippines. Later, on July 24, 2006, President Gloria Arroyo mentioned him in her State of the Union address, calling him a national hero. In September 2006, Pacquiao signed a promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions, headed by Oscar De La Hoya. However, he decided to stay with promoter Bob Arum and his company, Top Rank. Litigation with Golden Boy Promotions followed, delaying the long-awaited rematch with Marquez, a Golden Boy Promotions fighter. Despite this distraction, Pacquiao was named the Fighter of the Year for 2006 by Ring magazine for his wins over Morales and Oscar Larios. The following year, in 2007, Pacquiao lost his election bid for the Philippine Congress.

In 2008, Pacquiao jumped to the lightweight division, earning the WBC title after knocking out David Diaz on June 28. Later in the year, he again jumped a weight class, moving up to the welterweight division to fight De La Hoya. Pacquiao won the fight and elevated himself to a global sports superstar. He won the WBO welterweight title in 2009 by defeating Miguel Cotto. The Boxing Writers Association of America named him the Fighter of the Decade in 2010.

In 2010, rumors emerged that Pacquiao would fight Floyd Mayweather Jr., a boxer many believed was as good as Pacquiao. After five years of negotiations, the two finally fought in May 2015. Mayweather won the fight by decision, though many who watched expressed disappointment that the fight did not live up to its billing.

Prior to his fight with Mayweather Jr., Pacquiao indulged in his passion for basketball. He joined the Kia Motors Basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. Later, in early 2016, Pacquiao announced his retirement, defeating Timothy Bradley in a unanimous decision. His record at that point was 58–6–2.

Pacquiao soon returned to the ring. In November 2016, he stripped Jessie Vargas of his WBO welterweight title in a unanimous decision. He was then defeated by Jeff Horn by unanimous decision in a fight that took place in July 2017. Almost one year later, he met Lucas Matthysse in the ring and pulled out his first knockout victory in almost ten years, thereby securing the WBA welterweight title.

Earlier in 2016, Pacquiao returned to politics and was elected senator. He retained this position until 2022.

In 2021, Pacquiao last returned to the ring. On August 21, 2021, Pacquiao fought WBA Super champion Yordenis Ugas. Although a close fight, Pacquiao lost a 12-round unanimous decision. He later announced his retirement from boxing.

In 2022, Pacquiao launched a failed election campaign for the presidency of the Philippines, losing to Ferdinand Marcos.

Summary

Like Muhammad Ali during the 1970s, Manny Pacquiao transcended boxing, especially in his home country of the Philippines. Manny proved that the best boxers in the world do not necessarily come from the United States. In the 2000s, many fighters from Asia and Eastern Europe came to the United States and had success. However, none reached the superstar status of Pacquiao.

Bibliography

Campbell, Brian. "Manny Pacquiao Retires: Former Eight-Division Champion Walks Away from Boxing at 42 Years Old." CBS Sports, 29 Sept. 2021, www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/manny-pacquiao-retires-former-eight-division-champion-walks-away-from-boxing-at-42-years-old. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Collins, Nigel. “Who Walked Away from Pacquiao-Barrera II the Winner?” The Ring: The 2008 Boxing Almanac and Book of Facts. Ambler, 2008.

Conway, Tyler. "Manny Pacquiao Concedes Philippines Presidential Race to Ferdinand Marcos Jr." Bleacher Report, 10 May 2022, bleacherreport.com/articles/10035467-manny-pacquiao-concedes-philippines-presidential-race-to-ferdinand-marcos-jr. Accessed 20 June 2024.

Lerner, Ted. “At Home with Manny Pacquiao: Get to Know the Pac-Man You Never Knew Before.” Ring, Aug. 2008, pp. 48–54.

Pacquiao, Manny, and Timothy James. Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination. Dunham, 2010.

Poole, Gary Andrew. PacMan: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao: The Greatest Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World. Da Capo, 2010.

Santoliquito, Joseph. “The Pacquiao-Marquez Feud: All We Can Do Is Pray for a Third Fight.” Ring, July 2008, pp. 30–36.