For most American fight fans, their first glimpse of Manny Pacquiao came in the summer of 2001 when the Filipino whirlwind delivered a scintillating performance in dispatching highly-regarded IBF super bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba inside of six rounds. In the following years Pacquiao would only further enhance his buddy legacy by locking horns with the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Erik Morales, showing himself to be a fighter with a penchant for the kill despite being a little rough around the edges.
And while Pacquiao has always seemed to have something special inside of him, his run up in weight and through a well-known list of opponents in the past few years has been completely unexpected and thoroughly impressive. In speaking with respected North Philadelphia trainer Naazim Richardson, known best for his work with light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins, he states that the simple fact that nobody saw this coming is what makes Pacquiao?s heroics so unique.
