Anyone will succeed in whatever field of endeavor in life by acquiring the same virtues and character that boxing world champions do, Pacquiao once remarked.
Born of typical poverty-stricken Filipino family, Manny Pacquiao abandoned his elementary school when his father eloped with another woman, forcing the schoolboy to abandon his studies to help out his mother support the deserted family. He peddled breads and homemade doughnuts most of the days in the streets of General Santos City, Philippines – his hometown, and at times he had to brave the excruciating heat of the Philippine sun in order to sold out his poor merchandise.
When not peddling he would wander around neighboring villages looking for boxing matches during town fiestas for a reward of around $ 3.0 for the winner and $2.0 for the loser. Win or lose, Manny would return home with his reward intact and turned it over to his mother for rice and fish for a good meal together with his siblings.
Manny, however kept on winning his fights that it did not take long for boxing aficionados of this maritime city in Southern Philippines to take notice of his boxing talent. His agility and power that kept on knocking out his opponents enamored many boxing personalities. Invited by one of them that he would be brought to the capital city of Manila to hone his sport, he did not hesitate and eagerly asked permission of his mother. Mother Dionisia, a pious woman coaxed her son that she delivered on December 17,1977 instead for the priesthood, and though a religious boy himself, Manny refused until he sailed one day for Manila without the poor old woman’s consent for she was adamant as most mothers in the world in disallowing their sons from joining the brutal, yet honorable sport of boxing.
Arriving at the big city, the young Manny was entered into a prominent boxing gymnasium and trained with consummate dedication. He kept on winning his early professional fights, but just like any other beginner and unknown fighter, his prize was no more than with what a drudger receives that he could hardly send extra amount back home. To augment his income, he employed himself in the gymnasium where he trained. He did the gardening and cleaning and occasionally a construction laborer while pursuing his early boxing career.
Despite his sidelines, the young Pacquiao trained like there was no tomorrow; comparing to the work ethic of his fellow prizefighters, each day he would train earliest and stop when all were gone resting. No wonder and as expected, he raked eleven straight wins before collecting his first professional loss to Rustico Torrecampo on February 9, 1996, barely a year after he joined the professional ranks. Torrecampo was the only fellow Filipino to have defeated the future great champion. Pacquiao was forced though, to wear a pair of heavier gloves in that fight for not making the weight limit of the flyweight division that he must have grown. Still heavyhearted, he had invited thoughts of giving up boxing, but as destiny would have it, he chose to continue, leaving behind the haunting memory of his first knockout defeat, and with much ease he was able to resume his usual winning ways by knocking out adversaries from Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
It did not take long until he traveled to Thailand again for the World Boxing Council(WBC) world flyweight crown of one of the country’s all-time great champions-Chatchai Sasakul. The equally talented Thai opponent was giving him a good boxing lesson until he caught him up with a well-placed solitary punch, sending the reigning champion to the ring floor grimacing in pain and, unable to beat the referee’s count, his Filipino adversary became a world champion at the youthful age of nineteen on December 24, 1998.
Still growing up, the new champion barely made weight for his second title defense and climbed the ring dehydrated. Consequently, he lost by knockout in the third canto of the fight against a Thai challenger in Medgoen Singsurat on September 17, 1999 at the Pakpanag Metropolitan Stadium, Nikhon Si Thammarat in Thailand. The loss embittered Pacquiao for some of his handlers became reluctant to provide him another good fight because of his decline in marketability. Nevertheless, he was given the benefit of the doubt; unbowed, Manny Pacquiao (32-2-0,23KO’s) trained more harder and re-launched his career a division higher and went on to capture the super bantamweight International Boxing Federation(IBF) world belt via an impressive 6th round knockout victory against the then dreaded South African world champion, Lehlohonolo Ledwaba (33-1-1,22KO’s; Win-Loss-Draw, Knockouts record), in June 2001 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, United States. He did receive a small purse though, but the victory had made much noise that reverberated in the consciousness of the mainstream American fans.
Pacquiao went on to defend his title impressively four times before he voluntarily relinquished it in 2003 for monetary and legacy reasons. He moved a division higher once more to issue a challenge on the great Marco Antonio Barrera (57-3-0, 40KO’s).
The legendary figure of the sport from the boxing world power – Mexico, casually accepted the challenge, claiming it a tune-up for a forthcoming difficult fight; a statement least questioned by experienced analysts, writers and the majority of the boxing community. Instead, the fighter known as the Baby-Faced Assassin fought helpless against the fire power, blinding speed and ferocity of the Filipino fighting demon. Barerra’s corner came to his rescue by throwing the towel in the 11th round when he went down and was receiving too much punishment. The victory earn the distinction as a huge upset of the year, for the vast majority except his corner believed Pacquiao stood a chance against a rival whose name was already heading to the Boxing Hall of Fame. Pacquiao became an instant superstar in that fateful day of November 15, 2003 at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, United States. His post-Barrera fights would later empty the busy streets of Manila and all other cities across the Philippine archipelago while insurgents and misguided elements in society would take a break from their crook activities to watch Pacquiao in action, making zero criminal-related incidence in the entire country during the duration of the fight. Not that the Philippines is scarce of boxing talents, but Pacquiao is truly the world’s most exciting contemporary fighter as claimed by boxing writers and both diehard and casual boxing fans around the world.
Now a force to reckon with, and apart from being the most exciting fighter, his status and purse as prizefighter went meteoric. In his next outing on May 8, 2004, he collected his first million dollar in a fight against another Mexican ring general, Juan Manuel Marquez that ended in a draw despite of him being floored three times in the first round, and had it not been due to a scoring error by one of the judges, Pacquiao would have captured the IBF and WBA world crown.
On March 19, 2005, another Mexican future hall of famer in Eric Morales (47-2-0, 34KO’s ), handed Pacquiao his only defeat so far in the boxing world stage – Las Vegas, United States. But Pacquiao also known as the “Pacman” a moniker patterned after a computer game character that devours all that crosses his path, retaliated by knocking out his former tormentor in the 10th round of their second meeting on January 21, 2006 . Nine months later, the two superstars would cross paths for the third time. To the demise of the great Morales, his proficiency and ring generalship did not do any good for him and he went down right in the first round and surrendered for good in the third when he took two more beautiful trips to the canvas. Aside from achieving immense popularity in his native Philippines and boxing-loving countries, his trilogy with Morales acquired him wealth, enough to support him without working in three lifetimes.
After his historic trilogy with Morales, the Pacman fought and dispatched lesser opponents before trading leaders once more with Barerra who was not gracious enough in defeat by leaking out many excuses. To seal his superiority, Pacquiao easily defeated him in their rematch last October 6, 2007 via unanimous decision that no one dared to question. Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1, 35 KOs) and Manny Pacquiao were to meet again on March 15, 2008 for the second time to settle the old controversial issue surrounding their first match four years ago. Against the superb boxing skills of Marquez, Pacquiao barely captured his third world title -the WBC super featherweight world crown via split decision. After his impressive, sensational and emotional victories in the United States, Pacquiao would always return home a beloved hero and even in defeat. Filipinos from all walks of life, would come out in their homes and working places to line the streets and catch a glimpse of their pride and joy as he was being feted by Filipino luminaries with long lines of motorcade in the city of Manila and his home town of General Santos.
Barely a month ago, Pacquiao ventured to ransack a division 5 lbs north of his current division to secure his legacy and to provide more joy and pride for his countrymen. This time was for the WBC lightweight crown of the durable and dangerous David Diaz (34-2-1, 17KO’s ) of the United States on June 28,2008. Having ascended the 106-lb to the 135-lb division, left many boxing pundits and casual fans questioning the wisdom of his foray in the environment of relatively bigger men. Nevertheless, he was favored to win but not the way he won the fight. From the onset until Diaz’s fall in the 9th round for good proved Pacquiao too superior against the reigning champion, belying thus all doubts prior to the fight. The victory catapulted the diminutive champion among all-time greats like Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Marvin Hagler, Oscar dela Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard, Tito Trinidad, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran, Floyd Mayweather, etc., while earning at the same time the historic distinction of being the first prize fighter from Asia to have captured four world titles in four divisions.
He also became the first Filipino to have become a world champion in the relatively heavier lightweight division. Greater yet, Pacquiao is currently installed finest across all divisions by occupying the first rank of the highly coveted pound for pound list by the prestigious Ring Magazine, known as the bible of boxing. Currently, he is poised for a super fight against the hugely popular, gifted, wealthy businessman, and six-division world champion Oscar dela Hoya. In the event this fight pushes through sometime in December, Pacquiao who holds a new record of 47 wins, 3 losses 2 draws with 35 knockouts will earn possibly more than $10,000,000.00.
Ranking the top twenty richest people in the Philippines, perhaps this former destitute boy would safely land among them. His prize from fighting set aside, his array of commercial endorsements that include Nike in which he is shown alongside of other world’s super athletes: Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Maria Sharapova afforded him millions. Despite this immense wealth and incredible popularity, Pacquiao remain down to earth and still fighting, probably no longer for himself but for his family and the glory of his country. The never ending bickering of Filipinos over political, economic and personal reasons are brought to a stop during Pacquiao fights. “If my fight is the only way that could unite us, then I am willing to climb the ring everyday.” Pacquiao once said to the Filipino people.. Today, the former peddler and construction boy cannot walk even the most remote street in the Philippines without getting mobbed by the adoring fans. His is so famous to the extent that the people around him also become famous.
Freddie Roach, his highly honored American coach perhaps ranks third in the country, behind only to the president according to some boxing scribes. Arguably this greatest Filipino to have ever walked the earth is truly a champion of the people that he shares his blessings to his poverty-stricken countrymen. Recently, he doled out a generous $60,000.00 to the poor victims of a typhoon that hit the Philippines a month ago when he was at the thick of his training in America in preparation for the Diaz fight. And now in Philippine athletics history, he will be remembered for being the first athlete to have been honored with a postage stamp.
Dedication, perseverance, courage, and extreme self-discipline and prayer are human virtues Pacquiao would share when besieged with queries concerning his paramount feats in the arena of life he chose to join and reach the pedestal.”Anyone will succeed in whatever field of endeavor in life by acquiring the same virtues and character that boxing world champions do”, he once claimed.
A couple of years from now, he will finally leave the sport for good, but his family, relatives and even friends who were fortunate to have shared his blessings will continue to live for the rest of their lives in financial comfort. And we the Filipino people will be forever grateful to this man, a national treasure of extreme rarity who have brought us so much pride and joy in many trying times. While his name: Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao gears up to immortality as it marches its easy way to Canastota, New York for the International Boxing Hall of Fame to claim its rightful place as one the greatest professional boxing champions of all time.
