anny Pacquiao?s rise from poverty in the Philippines to become a world-champion boxer, a congressman in his country and a co-starring role in the boxing match of this generation ? May 2 against Floyd Mayweather Jr. — has been a remarkable journey.
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The Los Angeles Times has documented most of Pacquiao?s bouts in the U.S. since he first made a cold call to trainer Freddie Roach at Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood in the late spring of 2001. w v ? Show Captionx Floyd Mayweather Jr., Marcos Maidana (Ethan Miller / Getty Images) Floyd Mayweather, right, battles Marcos Maidana during a WBC/WBA unification bout at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 3, 2014. Mayweather is considered one of the most successful boxers in the history of the sport. 1 / 41 ? Show Captionx Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Al Bello / Allsports) Floyd Mayweather Jr. celebrates his victory over Augustine Sanchez at the U.S. Olympic Box-offs in Augusta, Ga., on April 20, 1996. 2 / 41 ? Show Captionx Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Hans Deryk / Associated Press) Floyd Mayweather Jr. looks on as he awaits a decision by the judges following a pre-Olympic tune-up bout against Russia’s Viacheslav Smirnov in Miami on June 17, 1996. Mayweather went on to win a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 3 / 41 ? Show Captionx Floyd Mayweather Jr., Serafim Todorov (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press) USA’s Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, fight’s Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov during their 57-kilogram class semifinal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 4 / 41 ? Show Captionx Floyd Mayweather Jr. (Paul Morse / Los Angeles Times) Floyd Mayweather Jr. reacts after losing to Bulgaria’s Serafim Todorov in the 57-kilogram semifinals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. 5 / 41
Since the union, Pacquiao is 25-3-2 with 14 knockouts, winning belts in seven of the record eight divisions in which he?s stood as champion.
Starting today, The Times, with Pacquiao?s input, ranks his top five fights as he officially opens training camp. Back in Hollywood. Under Roach.
Number Five: Tie: The Breakout Bouts.
Making a name in the U.S. is tough work. After Pacquiao knocked on Roach?s door at Wild Card, he set up home in the Travelodge motel next door.
Their first fight together started what would be a routine trip for Pacquiao — across the Mojave Desert to Las Vegas.c Comments z Got something to say? Start the conversation and be the first to comment. Add a comment? 0
On two weeks? notice, he took a title fight against Lehlo Ledwaba, who was then a once-beaten South African wearing the International Boxing federation super-bantamweight belt.
On the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya?s HBO-televised unanimous-decision win over Javier Castillejo at MGM Grand, Pacquiao delivered a blow that left Ledwaba?s nose bloody in the first round, then knocked him down in the second.
The punishment continued until Pacquiao decked Ledwaba again early in the sixth, then finished him with an onslaught of punches that forced referee Joe Cortez to stop the fight.
That helped propel Pacquiao to a November 2003 HBO main event, against Mexican warrior Marco Antonio Barrera in San Antonio.
Pacquiao trounced the big favorite, dominating the second round with patented heavy punches that would pepper the coming decade. Barrera went down in the third, was bloodied by a head butt later and succumbed to the onslaught in the 11th, his corner throwing in the towel.
The power puncher?s conversion from hard-core favorite to mainstream fame was sealed in Pacquiao?s trilogy of fights against Mexico?s Erik Morales between March 2005, and November 2006.
Morales won the first bout by 115-113 on all three scorecards, answering Pacquiao?s pressure with counter punches and cutting him in the fifth in a compelling battle that begged for more.
Pacquiao out-lasted Morales, building up his unwanted nickname ?Mexi-cutioner,? by winning the second fight by 10th-round technical knockout and the third in dominant fashion, by third-round knockout.
