Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao: The People's Champ

Born on 17 December 1978 and codenamed Pacman, Manny Pacquiao can pack a real mean punch. Pacman a.k.a Emmanuel Dapigran "Manny" Pacquiao was born in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. He has been nicknamed the destroyer. His achievements are extraordinary as he is the reigning WBC International Super Featherweight Champion. In Philippines, he has the status of superman and is referred to as ang Pambansang Kamao or the national fist. Pacquiao’s feats and achievements talk much louder than words. He is the former Ring People's Featherweight Champion from 2003-2005, WBC Flyweight Champion from 1998-1999, and IBF Super Bantamweight Champion from 2001-2004. An impressive career record, the destroyer has 43 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, to his name out of which 33 wins came through knockout punches.

Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao entered the professional boxing ring for the first time in 1995 with a weight of 106 lbs. During this time, he was far from being famous and had to be satisfied with boxing fights in small venues. These were usually broadcasted on a boxing show called Blow by Blow and it was hosted by John Ray Betita. But he was still far from the actual BIG Games. Meanwhile Pacquiao lost a few fights to Singsurat and Torrecampo and since his weights had also increased by 7lbs, he had to shift to the bantamweight division. The bantamweight division changed his boxing career as Pacquiao went on to win and defend it five times.


He is also recognized by most knowledgeable observers as the best fighter at any weight in the ring today.

Manny has held world titles in four weight divisions. He won the WBC flyweight world title two weeks before his 20th birthday in December, 1998, the IBF jr. featherweight world title at 22 in 2001, and the WBC super featherweight world title in March, 2008.

He won the WBC lightweight world title in his last fight in June, 2008, with a ninth-round TKO against defending champion David Diaz.

Manny won the WBC super featherweight world title in March, 2008, with a 12 round decision victory in the rematch against defending champion Juan Manuel Marquez. It was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year, and one of the most exciting.

Manny was named “2006 Fighter of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring.


KEY FIGHTS
2008

WON WBC L WORLD TITLE - in his last fight on 6-28-08 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d lefthanded defending champion David Diaz (34-1-1): the fight headlined at Mandalay Bay; Diaz, a 1996 U.S. Olympian, gave a tremendous effort, but Manny dominated the entire fight and gave him a severe beating; he rocked Diaz repeatedly and cut him badly over his right eye in the 4th round; Manny scored a knockdown with a left hand that dropped Diaz face-first to the canvas, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:24; after eight rounds, Manny led by scores of 80-71, 80-71, 80-72; after the fight, Manny said, “I feel much stronger and more powerful at 135. This is where I plan to stay. Diaz caught a lot of punches. I’m surprised he didn’t go down earlier. It’s hard to fight a southpaw, but I jabbed, jabbed to set him up for the knockout.”

WON WBC SF WORLD TITLE - On March 15, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV, Manny won a 12 round split decision in the rematch against defending champion Juan Manuel Marquez (48-3-1): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight and the momentum shifted back and forth; Manny swept the 1st round on all three scorecards, but Marquez came back, staggered him with a right hand-left hook combination in the 2nd, and swept the round; Manny scored a knockdown with left hand that dropped Marquez flat on his back late in the 3rd round, rocked Marquez again later in the round and won the round 10-8 on all three scorecards, then swept the 4th round on all three scorecards, as well; Marquez rallied and swept the 5th, 7th, and 8th rounds, but was nicked over his right eye in the 5th, and cut badly over the same eye by a clash of heads in the 7th; Manny was also cut badly over his right eye; Manny staggered Marquez with a left hand early in the 10th round, then rocked him against with series of punches moments later and swept the round, but Marquez finished the fight very strongly – he swept the 11th round and won the 12th on two scorecards; scored 115-112, 114-113 Pacquiao, 115-112 Marquez.

2007

5TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-6-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch against 33 year-old former three-time WBO jr. featherweight, IBF jr. lightweight and WBC super featherweight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5): the bout headlined at Mandalay Bay and drew a crowd of 10,112, and Manny dominated the fight; Barrera had his moments – he rocked Manny with a right hand in the 3rd round and scored with a hard left hook and left uupercut in the 5th, but Manny pressed forward and consistently outworked him; Manny staggered Barrera and cut him under his right eye in the 11th round, and Barrera was penalized one point for punching on a break later in the round after he staggered Manny with a right hand; scored 118-109, 118-109, 115-112; after the fight, Manny said, ““It was a good fight, and it was different from the first fight. He’s a good, smart boxer. I’m satisfied with the result. I knew he would have to box me this time around. I thought the people were happy with that fight. I’m trying to make people happy, to give a good fight. I hope that people liked this fight tonight. We did our best. I was careful in this fight. He’s still a good fighter. I was just lucky in the first fight that it happened like that.”.

4TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 4-14-07 in San Antonio, TX, he knocked out Jorge Solis (32-0-2): The early rounds were tactical and close, and both were effective at times; Manny was cut over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 6th round, but rocked Solis later in the round; Manny stepped up his pace in the 7th round, then scored two knockdowns in the 8th – both with left hands – and he was counted out at 1:16; after the fight, Manny said, “In the early rounds I took it easy, but when I got a cut I was throwing more combinations and pretty soon I knocked him out.”.

2006

3RD WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 11-18-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he knocked out former WBC super bantamweight, two-time featherweight, and super featherweight world champion Erik Morales (48-4): the fight headlined at the Thomas & Mack Center and drew an announced crowd of 18,276; Morales gave a tremendous effort, but Manny gave a sensational performance, dominated the fight, and quickly overpowered him; Manny rocked Morales with a right hook in the 1st round and scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 2nd; Manny staggered Morales, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 3rd round – Morales came back with a furious attack and rocked Manny, but Manny scored another knockdown and Morales was counted out at 2:57;

2ND WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 7-2-06 in Manila, PHIL, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBC super bantamweight world champion Oscar Larios (56-4-1): the fight headlined at the historic Araneta Coliseum, the site of the “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975; Larios had some early success and staggered Manny in the 3rd round, but Manny came back and cut Larios over the left eye later in the round; several rounds were close, but Manny had the edge in most and and gave Larios a severe beating; Manny scored one knockdown in the 7th round and another in the 12th, and won by scores of 120-106, 118-108, 117-111; after the fight, Manny said, “Their plan was for me to finish the match early, but my plan was that I would not rush, as long as I’m ahead on points. Sometimes if you rush, you may have a problem, because he can squeeze in a punch.”...

1ST WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-21-06 in Las Vegas he TKO’d defending champion Erik Morales (48-3): the rematch headlined at the Thomas & Mack Center, and drew announced crowd of 14,618; it was an exciting fight, and both gave tremendous efforts; the early rounds were close, but Morales rallied and swept rounds three through five on all three scorecards and after five rounds, led by scores of 49-46, 48-47, 48-47; but Manny came on strongly in the 6th - he consistently landed the harder punches and swept rounds six through nine on all three scorecards; Manny scored two knockdowns in the 10th - the first with a straight left hand, the second after a series of punches - and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:33; after nine rounds, Manny led by scores of 86-85, 87-84, 87-84; after the fight, Manny said, “The first fight was tough for me to go to the body because I had the bloody eye. The big difference is that I could see, I could see his punches coming. I saw I hurt him every time I hit him in the body. I wasn’t expecting to knock him out. I was lucky that I was to get to his body and his head.”..; Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported, “Pacquiao...put on a spectacular performance in a sensational action fight.”

2005

2005 - WON VACANT WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE - on 9-10-05 in Los Angeles, CA, he TKO’d Hector Velazquez (42-10-2): Velazquez started fast and gave a good effort, but Manny outworked Velazquez, landed the harder punches, and dominated most of the fight; Manny staggered Velazquez with a right hook in the 6th round, then scored a knockdown moments later; Velazquez got up at the count of eight, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:59; after five rounds, Manny led by scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47; after the fight, Manny said, “This is exactly what we trained for. It was the body shots that set him up for the K.O.”

On 3-19-05 in Las Vegas, NV, lost a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBC super bantamweight, featherweight, and super featherweight world champion Erik Morales (47-2): it was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year, and it was boxing at its best; the event drew a capacity crowd of 14,623 to the MGM Grand, and it was a ferocious battle that repeatedly brought the fans to their feet; it was a very close fight, and the momentum shifted back and forth - Manny started fast and won the first and third rounds on all three scorecards, but Morales weathered the early storm and rallied in the middle and late rounds; Morales won the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds on two scorecards, then the eighth, tenth, and eleventh on all three; Manny was cut over the right eye in the 5th round - ruled by a punch - but he won the seventh round on two scorecards, and swept the ninth and twelfth; both stood toe-to-toe in the final round and punched nonstop until the bell; all three judges scored the fight 115-113; after the fight, Manny said, “I couldn’t see out of one eye, and it was very hard. If I am not cut on one eye, I think I can knock him out. But I did my best and gave everyone a good fight.”

2004

December: Won by TKO IBF featherweight eliminator for the number 2 spot against Fahsan Thawatchai. Pacquiao scored one knockdown in the 2nd round, another in the 3rd, and two in the 4th. The referee stopped the fight without a count at 1:26 in the 4th.

May: : Fought to a 12-round draw in IBF/WBA Featherweight World Title Challenge against defending champion, Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao scored three knockdowns in the 1st round. In spite of Marquez's badly injured and bleeding nose during most of the fight, he showed tremendous heart and determination and gradually recovered and boxed effectively for much of the fight. He rocked Manny and cut him over the right eye in the fifth and staggered him in the sixth. The momentum went back and forth in an exciting second half of the fight. Pacquiao landed the harder punches but Marquez kept a busier pace.

2003

November: Won by TKO against former three-time WBO junior featherweight world champion, Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera was considered by many observers to be the world's best featherweight and was a 4-1 favorite to win, but Manny gave a sensational performance. Replays showed that he was tripped when a punch was thrown in the first round resulting in a knockdown. Pacquiao dominated the rest of the fight scoring a knockdown in the third round, and then rocked Barrera with several punches later in the round. He relentlessy pressured Barrera and landed the harder punches and wearing him down. Barrera's left eye was swollen in the 4th round and he was cut over the same eye by a clash of heads in the seventh. Barrera was also penalized one point for punching on the break in the ninth. Pacquiao scored another knockdown in the eleventh round; Barrera got up, but Manny rocked him with a series of punches and Barrera's corner stopped the fight at 2:56.

July: Won 4th IBF Junior Featherweight World Title Defense by TKO against undefeated Emmanuel Lucero in a spectacular one-punch knockout. Lucero was an awkward opponent who pressed forward, dipped almost to the canvas at times and lunged at Manny with wide punches. Manny landed a single left hand in the 3rd round that sent Lucero staggering across the ring, out on his feet and the referee stopped the figh.

March: Won by TKO against Serik Eshmagametov. Manny scored a knockdown in the 1st round, but Eshmagametov rallied and scored a knockdown in the fourth. Manny came back strongly and scored two knockdowns in the 5th round. The referee stopped the fight at 1:52.

2002

October: Won 3rd IBF Junior Featherweight World Title Defense by TKO against Fahproakob Sithkwenim. Pacquiao scored four knockdowns in the first round and the referee stopped the fight.

June: Won 2nd IBF Junior Featherweight World Title Defense by TKO against Jorge Julio in a co-featured bout under the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson main event. Manny scored two knockdowns early in the 2nd round and bloodied Julio's nose. Julio got up both times, but Manny rocked him again and the referee stopped the fight.

October: Fought to a technical draw in 1st IBF Junior Featherweight World Title defense against WBO world champion Agapito Sanchez. In a dirty fight with continuous mauling and repeated fouls, Manny was cut over the right eye in the second round by a clash of heads and later on the left ear. Sanchez was penalized one point in the third for pushing the laces of his gloves against Manny's cut and another point in the fourth for low blows. The fight went to the scorecards when the referee stopped the fight on Manny's cut eye in the sixth round.

2000
October: Won 2nd WBC International Junior Featherweight Defense by TKO against previously undefeated British Commonwealth Champion, Nadel Hussein. The aggressive Hussein scored a knockdown in the 4th round but was also penalized one point. Manny came back in the fifth round and cut Hussein over and under his left eye. The fight was eventually stopped on the cuts in the tenth round.

1999
September: Lost WBC Flyweight World title against Medgoen Singsurat when he did not make weight at the weighin. Manny was knocked down in the third and was counted out and sigsurat won the vacant title.

April: Won 1st WBC Flyweight World Title Defense by 3rd round TKO against Gabriel Mira.

1998

1998 – WON WBC FL WORLD TITLE – on 12-4-98 in Phuttamonthon, TH, he knocked out defending champion Chatchai Sasakul (33-1): it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Sasakul dominated the early rounds with his speed, skill, and sharp combination punching, but Manny rocked him in the 4th round; Sasakul recovered quickly and continued to box effectively, but Manny knocked down Sasakul with a single left hand in the 8th round, and he was counted out at 2:54; after seven rounds, Sasakul led by scores of 70-64, 69-64, 68-65.

WON OPBF FL TITLE – on 6-27-97 in Manila he knocked out Chokchai Chokwiwat: in the 5th round.

He debuted at the age of 16 on 1-22-95.
Born on 17 December 1978 and codenamed Pacman, Manny Pacquiao can pack a real mean punch. Pacman a.k.a Emmanuel Dapigran "Manny" Pacquiao was born in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. He has been nicknamed the destroyer. His achievements are extraordinary as he is the reigning WBC International Super Featherweight Champion. In Philippines, he has the status of superman and is referred to as ang Pambansang Kamao or the national fist. Pacquiao’s feats and achievements talk much louder than words. He is the former Ring People's Featherweight Champion from 2003-2005, WBC Flyweight Champion from 1998-1999, and IBF Super Bantamweight Champion from 2001-2004. An impressive career record, the destroyer has 43 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, to his name out of which 33 wins came through knockout punches.

Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao entered the professional boxing ring for the first time in 1995 with a weight of 106 lbs. During this time, he was far from being famous and had to be satisfied with boxing fights in small venues. These were usually broadcasted on a boxing show called Blow by Blow and it was hosted by John Ray Betita. But he was still far from the actual BIG Games. Meanwhile Pacquiao lost a few fights to Singsurat and Torrecampo and since his weights had also increased by 7lbs, he had to shift to the bantamweight division. The bantamweight division changed his boxing career as Pacquiao went on to win and defend it five times.


Born on 17 December 1978 and codenamed Pacman, Manny Pacquiao can pack a real mean punch. Pacman a.k.a Emmanuel Dapigran "Manny" Pacquiao was born in Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. He has been nicknamed the destroyer. His achievements are extraordinary as he is the reigning WBC International Super Featherweight Champion. In Philippines, he has the status of superman and is referred to as ang Pambansang Kamao or the national fist. Pacquiao’s feats and achievements talk much louder than words. He is the former Ring People's Featherweight Champion from 2003-2005, WBC Flyweight Champion from 1998-1999, and IBF Super Bantamweight Champion from 2001-2004. An impressive career record, the destroyer has 43 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws, to his name out of which 33 wins came through knockout punches.

Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao entered the professional boxing ring for the first time in 1995 with a weight of 106 lbs. During this time, he was far from being famous and had to be satisfied with boxing fights in small venues. These were usually broadcasted on a boxing show called Blow by Blow and it was hosted by John Ray Betita. But he was still far from the actual BIG Games. Meanwhile Pacquiao lost a few fights to Singsurat and Torrecampo and since his weights had also increased by 7lbs, he had to shift to the bantamweight division. The bantamweight division changed his boxing career as Pacquiao went on to win and defend it five times.