| Manny Pacquiao | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Boxer | |
| Born | Dec. 17, 1978 |
| Nationality | Filipino |
Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao is a famous Filipino boxer and politician. He is the first and only eight-division world champion. He has won 10 world titles and was the first boxer to win lineal championships in four different categories.
Today, he is the second highest paid athlete in the whole world. In 2010, he was named Fighter of the Decade by BWAA and WBO. He has been named three times as the Fighter of the Year by Ring Magazine and BWAA.
Early Years
Manny was born onf December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon in Southern Philippines. His parents were Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionesia Dapidran separated when Manny was in the sixth grade. Manny completed his elementary education in General Santos City and dropped out of high school due to poverty and left home at 14 years of age.
The young Manny Pacquiao left home and boarded a ship to Manila in the hopes of training as a boxer and launching his career. In January of 1995, his goals gained traction. At the age of only 16, he stepped into the ring for his first professional fight. He won the fight against Edmund Ignacio in four rounds. This victory propelled him into successful boxing run that went on for two decades.
Boxing in Various Divisions
In December of 1998, Manny won a bout against Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand. He took the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight title, which was his first major honor.
In 2001, he moved to a larger weight division. On June 23, 2001, Manny’s big break came when he faced Lehlohonolo Lebwaba for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior featherweight title. Manny stepped into this fight as a last minute replacement, but won by a technical knockout. This was the second major boxing title that he won. This fight took place in Las Vegas and Pacquiao ended up defending this title four times.
Advancing a Boxing Career
On November 15, 2003, Manny faced Marco Antonio in Texas. Many consider this as the fight that defined his career. During this time, Manny was fighting in the featherweight division for the first time. He defeated Marco through a technical knockout in the 11th round. Manny won the Lineal and The Ring Featherweight championship becoming the first Asian and Filipino to be a three-division world champion. He defended this title twice.
Pacquiao vs. Marquez
Six months after his fight with Marco, Manny went to challenge Juan Manuel. Manuel was the holder of WBA and IBF featherweight titles by this time. The fight took place on May 8, 2004, in Las Vegas. Marquez was knocked down three times by Pacquiao in the first round. At the end of the fight, the two boxers felt they had done enough to win. However, the bout was scored a draw which later proved to be a very controversial decision.
Other Accomplishments
On March 19, 2005, Manny moved to the super featherweight division. He fought the Mexican legend Erik Morales for the WBC international and IBA super featherweight titles. Manny lost the 12-round match and sustained a cut over one of his eyes. A rematch took place on January 21, 2006, in Las Vegas. This time, Manny Pacquiao won the match. In July of 2006, he defended WBC international title against Oscar Larios and won.
In June of 2008, Manny defeated David Diaz in the lightweight division via a ninth round knockout. As a result, he won the WBC Lightweight title. This victory made him the first Filipino and Asian to become a five-division world champion. He was also the first Filipino boxer to win a world title in the lightweight division.
On December 6, 2008, Manny moved to the welterweight division and soon faced Oscar De La Hoya, the six-division world champion. Manny won this fight. In May of 2009, he fought with Ricky Hatton. Manny won this fight by a knockout in the second round and therefore won The Ring’s junior welterweight title. In November of 2009, in a fight that was promoted as “Firepower,” he defeated Miguel Cotto through a technical knockout.
Pacquiao vs. Bradley
On June 9, 2012, Manny Pacquiao lost a 12-round fight with Timothy Bradley. This fight was a great upset for boxing fans who believed Manny had won the fight. In December of that year, Manny was defeated again after Juan Manuel knocked him out.
Political Career
In 2007, Manny made his first attempt at politics, he did not win. In 2009, he formed the People’s Champ Movement and ran again for a legislative seat. He won by a landslide.