When you are on the top of the mountain there are always some that want to knock you off of it. Manny Pacquiao, the man who went from selling smokes on the streets to financial freedom and international fame, has his share of haters out there. You can probably count on one hand how many of his haters are in the Philippines, maybe. Most of his detractors are in the states, and the majority of those are probably Floyd Mayweather loyalists.
Floyd Mayweather Jr in most eyes is the former pound for pound king of boxing. He does have some that still feel as if he still is the pound for pound king. Most disagree and give Pacquiao that title.
Being the king of anything creates the need for some people to hate. Success breeds hate, and those who hate do so out of jealousy, for the most part. Pacquiao for the most part has remained humble throughout his rise to fame. Sure he’s not exactly the same, money and power changes everyone to some degree. The days where Manny gets excited because he got a new pair of sneakers, or a new pair of boxing trunks are over with.
Listen to Podcast interviews with Pacquiao and Mayweather Sr HERE
The top spot has it’s challenges. Since being the pound for pound king, Pacquiao has been accused of taking steroids. He’s been attacked by a certain few individuals within the sport, most of which are fighters or ex fighters. The Mayweathers have led the attacks on numerous boxing websites in interviews, on video, and on Twitter. Pacquiao has since fired back and has launched legal action against them. Advertisement
Pacquiao’s political career has also created a few haters. When you throw your hat into politics there are always going to be people who disagree with your beliefs. This writer doesn’t pretend to know anything about politics in the Philippines, but I sure do know a thing or two about how it works in America.
Mississippians who follow Manny’s career for the most part admire and respect him. Floyd has his share of fans down here, so not all Mississippians are pro Pacquiao, but most are. I spoke with Kisha Ammunson of Jackson, MS who is a Pacquiao fan. Kisha has a lot of respect for her favorite fighter, ” Pacquiao is a great ambassador for the sport. He never talks trash, he talks with his fists. He is humble and kind, and that is admirable.”
James King, a Floyd Mayweather fan from Canton, MS had this to say, ” I give Manny props for his earlier fights like against Morales and Barrera, but his rise up the weight classes isn’t fooling me. He took on older past their prime guys who were much slower.”
Pacquiao has a lot of fans out there. With that said, there are a few here and there that are not on board with the Pacman machine. That’s only to be expected.
