Eight-division, 11-time world champion Manny Pacquiao and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady share a common bond. At 40 and 41 years old respectively, both Pacquiao and Brady are remarkable athletes who continue to perform at their best, continuing to win championships while showing no signs of slowing down after the age of 40.
The significance of Brady’s accomplishment in Atlanta at Super Bowl LIII this past Sunday, becoming the first player in NFL history to win six super bowls didn’t escape the Filipino Senator. Pacquiao knows what it’s like to be in a category all his own. The only fighter in the history of boxing to win world titles in eight different weight classes, Pacquiao stands alone with an accomplishment that seems nearly impossible to be replicated.
Pacquiao took to social media to post a video from the Philipines at his office congratulating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on their sixth Super Bowl victory. Alongside veteran boxing matchmaker Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao had the following to say about his fellow Quadragenarian Brady. “Congratulations to you guys, the team, specifically, Tom Brady, for a job well done. For being 41 years old, you showed your capacity that you’re still there. Pacquiao continued, “At 40 years old I’m still showing my best that we’re still here to give our best and entertain people. Congratulations to all of you.”
Twenty years ago, it would have been unheard of for a 40-year-old to still be a dominating force in boxing at the world championship level and a 41-year-old quarterback to be winning his sixth Super Bowl in his 19th season. There’s a zen-like quality to Pacquiao and Brady that not only have allowed them to continue to compete at such a high level from a physical standpoint but to still possess the passion to win at this stage of their careers. What makes it even harder to comprehend is the wear and tear and physical toll that boxing and football have on an athletes body over the course of a normal career, let alone past the age of 40.
While Pacquiao continues to defeat world-class opponents ten years younger as he did on January 19 against Adrien Broner, defeating Broner by a unanimous decision, Brady continues to dominate players half his age while still winning Super Bowls.
We can speculate and debate all day long about what special traits these two champions have in common to be able to have achieved the level of success they have both attained over the course of their hall of fame careers, but one thing is clear. To Pacquiao and Brady, age is just a number.
