For the past 20 years, Manny Pacquiao has been one of the greatest champions the sport of boxing has seen.
The Filipino fighter has been involved in some epic fights, including several major rivalries with top opponents, while quietly ripping through weight class after weight class and picking up titles in several divisions along the way.
With more than 60 professional fights on his record, Pacquiao is one of the most experienced and active boxers performing today, and now he’ll have a chance to cement his place among the all-time greats when he faces undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather this weekend in Las Vegas.
Pacquiao has been itching for this fight for the past six years, and he earned the right to be involved in the biggest money bout of all time by amassing a 57-5-2 record against a who’s who of boxing royalty.
As we prepare for Pacquiao to finally step through the ropes and face off with Mayweather on Saturday night, let’s take a look back at the five most important fights of the veteran’s career.
5. Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley 2 — April 12, 2014
Pacquiao hasn’t lost many fights, but one loss that stands out is his 2012 defeat to Bradley in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history. Despite nearly every journalist and expert scoring the fight for Pacquiao, two judges sitting ringside gave Bradley the nod by returning 115-113 cards for the contender.
This rematch was booked two years later, and Pacquiao was the clear winner.
Pacquiao engaged Bradley early with a huge series of combinations, using superior speed to land punches at will throughout the first half of the fight. To Bradley’s credit, he stuck around and gave Pacquiao trouble in the later rounds when fatigue appeared to set in, but when the fight was over there was no doubt who was the winner.
Pacquiao avenged his earlier loss and closed the book on the chapter marked Tim Bradley.
4. Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton ? Feb. 5, 2009
Pacquiao’s bout with Hatton was not only one of his biggest performances but also his most vicious knockout.
Hatton had fallen to Mayweather two years earlier but rebuilt himself with two wins to earn a shot at Pacquiao. Hatton even worked with Floyd Mayweather Sr. as his lead trainer going into the fight, where he had somewhat of a crowd-favorite advantage as thousands of British boxing fans flooded the Las Vegas fight card to watch a favorite son.
Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach had promised in the lead up to the fight that the matchup with Hatton would not go past three rounds, and he was right on the money.
Pacquiao dropped Hatton in the first round with a trio of straight right hands before the Brit tried to steady himself. Smelling blood, Pacquiao went after Hatton again and felled him with a quick combination finished off by a powerful left hand as the first round came to an end.
Hatton tried to soldier through in the second round, but Pacquiao had no plans of seeing the third.
He crushed Hatton with two more rights followed by a fight-finishing left hand that put the Manchester native down and out on the canvas. Referee Kenny Bayless didn’t need to count because it was clear Hatton was done.
Pacquiao earned the knockout at 2:59 in Round 2 in one of the fastest finishes of his career.
3. Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera ? Nov. 15, 2003
Despite having an impressive record at the time, Pacquiao took a huge step up in competition when he met featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera in 2003.
Barrera was a 60-fight veteran and considered one of the pound-for-pound best boxers in the sport. His huge list of victories included wins over Erik Morales and Johnny Tapia in recent bouts.
Despite his defensive prowess, Barrera was simply overmatched against the speed and accuracy of Pacquiao, who decimated the multi-time champion with blistering combinations throughout the first 10 rounds. In the 11th, Pacquiao was in complete control of the fight with commentators ringside calling the fight ?a changing of the guard? in boxing.
Pacquiao wasn’t done just because the fight was already won, however, as he continued to tag Barrera every time the two were separated long enough for him to put together a combination. Pacquiao earned a knockdown midway through the 11th round, and as he continued to blast away with less than a minute to go, Barrera’s corner had seen enough and threw in the towel.
The win marked Pacquiao’s third championship in three divisions.
2. Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya ? Dec. 6, 2008
By the time Pacquiao fought De La Hoya in 2008 he was already considered one of the best boxers in the sport and was a multi-weight class champion. The problem with this particular fight, however, was Pacquiao going up in weight yet again to face a big challenge from a legendary champion.
None of that mattered once the fight started as Pacquiao demolished De La Hoya throughout every round with lightning quick speed and powerful offensive flurries. De La Hoya was unable to catch up with Pacquiao at any point in the fight and became a punching bag in the latter rounds.
Pacquiao outpunched De La Hoya 224-83 in significant shots, and by the eighth round it was clear this fight was a mismatch. The fight was stopped, and shortly after it was over De La Hoya retired from boxing.
It was a huge moment for Pacquiao as he defied the odds once again and put another Hall of Fame name on his list of defeated opponents.
1. Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto — Nov. 14, 2009
Throughout his career, Pacquiao has been engaged in some of the greatest rivalries in boxing, including four fights with Juan Manuel Marquez that may go down as the hardest-fought battles he had in the ring. The Marquez fights were memorable, but the bout that truly put Pacquiao on the list as one of the pound-for-pound best in the sport was his 2009 matchup with Cotto.
Cotto was a legit welterweight fighter in the prime of his career when he faced Pacquiao. Pacquiao had beaten De La Hoya a year earlier, but considering The Golden Boy retired after the fight, many said Pacquiao simply defeated an aging legend and not a fighter still at his peak.
Cotto was the exact challenge Pacquiao needed, and he passed with flying colors.
Pacquiao touched up Cotto early and often through the first three rounds, even managing to put the Puerto Rican fighter down to one knee in the third. The fourth was a different story as Pacquiao crushed Cotto with a powerful left hand that sent him to the canvas.
Pacquiao continued to dole out punishment throughout the remainder of the fight, and in the 12th round — with Cotto bleeding from his left eye and barely offering any defense — the referee stopped the carnage.
Pacquiao won by TKO to become a seven-division champion, thus sparking the first major interest in a fight with fellow pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
