Emmanuel (Manny) Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978 in the Philippine city of Kibawe. At the age of eleven, he saw the fight between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas, which amazed him to the core. It was after him that he decided to go to boxing training. Young Manny's new hobby was met with hostility by his mother, and at the age of 12 he ran away from home, which, in turn, led to vagrancy. Almost nothing is known about those times of his life, because... the boxer himself doesn’t like to talk about it. But there is enough information about the subsequent periods of his life.

Boxing career

Until his sixteenth birthday, Pacquiao competed exclusively in amateur fights. Then he had 64 fights, of which he won 60. After this, he makes his debut as a professional: in the very first fight, where his opponent was Edmund Ignacio, Manny wins on points. Then ten more victorious fights follow, but in the eleventh the Filipino loses to another Filipino fighter, Rustico Torrecampo. But this defeat only adds passion to the persistent athlete and in subsequent battles he continues to win victories.
In June 1997, Pacquiao defeated the experienced Thai boxer Chokchai Chokwiwat, thanks to which he received a small regional title among flyweight fighters, and some serious boxing organizations began to show interest in him. In December 1998, “Pacman” fought for the WBC champion title in the up to 50.8 kg weight category against professional Thai boxer Chatchai Saksakul, and defeated him by knockout in the eighth round. But already in September 1999, in a fight against another Thai, Medgoen Singsurata lost to him in the third round.

After this, the Filipino boxer rises up two weight categories and in December 1999 competes in the first featherweight division against WBC champion Reinante Jamili, and wins by technical knockout. This victory is followed by several more, and the victorious fighter is noticed by the American promoter Murat Mohammed. He enters into a contract with the boxer and promises to arrange a serious fight for the championship belt. And in June 2001, a lucky chance brings Manny to a fight with IBF champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Before the fight, the Asian athlete is training with famous trainer Freddie Roach. As a result, Pacquiao enters the ring as a completely different boxer - more technical. In the first round, he makes it clear to his opponent Ledvaba that he will not have it easy. Until the sixth round, “Pacman” amazes everyone with the manner and tactics of his fight, and in the middle of the round he knocks out Ledwaba, who will no longer be able to continue the fight. Pacquiao becomes the new IBF champion.

In the next fight, a native of the Philippines competes against WBO champion Agapito Sanchez. But this time luck was not so favorable to Manny, and Sanchez managed to retain his title - the fight ended in a draw by decision of the judges. Although, it was repeatedly noted that Sanchez was playing a “dirty” game, but in fact, this did not play a role. After the fight with Sanchez, Pacquiao meets in the ring with Colombian Jorge Eliser Julio, a two-time world bantamweight champion. The Filipino hero wins in the second round. The next fight was even shorter. In the first round, Manny knocked down three times and then knocked out the contender for the IBF belt, Thai Fakprakorb Stikvenim. The Thai boxer was passed out for more than 20 minutes and was hospitalized. And “Pacman” won his next bright victory in July 2003 over the Mexican fighter Emmanuel Lucero, whom no one could defeat before. He defeated the Mexican by technical knockout in the third round.

Around the same time, Pacquiao’s promoter is negotiating a meeting between his protégé and the legendary Mexican, Marco Antonio Barrera. It took place in November 2003. Almost the entire fight, Emmanuel suppresses his opponent with his powerful onslaught, and in the eleventh round the fight is stopped by Barrera’s seconds, throwing in the towel. After this fight, the Asian warrior becomes a boxing superstar in the Philippines and gains great popularity in the United States. Some time later, he decides to win the featherweight title. His opponent is Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBA and WBF champion in this weight category. The fight took place in May 2004 and ended in a draw.

Having won another victory against Thai boxer Fasang Por Tawach, Pacquiao again moved up the weight category, and in March 2005 he met with boxing legend, Mexican Erik Morales. In this battle, the Mexican won. The next meeting of the same fighters took place in January 2006. Pac-Man won at the end of the 10th round. In July 2006, he defeated another Mexican, Oscar Larios. And in November of the same year, the third meeting between Pacquiao and Morales took place, in which at the end of the third round the referee stopped the fight - the Filipino completely suppressed the Mexican, who was no longer able to continue the match.

In April 2007, Manny met in the ring with another athlete from Mexico, Jorge Solis, and defeated him in the eighth round. In October, a second fight with Barrera takes place, in which Pacquiao again becomes the winner. The second meeting with Marquez took place in March 2008 and the unstoppable “Pac-Man” won. In June 2008, he fought for the WBC world title against David Diaz, winning in the ninth round. The next fight took place in the welterweight division, because Pacquiao moved up two weight classes again. The fight took place in December 2008. This time the Filipino star's opponent was Oscar De La Hoya. Manny won after eight rounds. Then the following year he beat Ricky Hatton at junior welterweight in what was the best knockout of 2009. At welterweight, Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. In the junior middleweight he beat Antonio Margarito. For this victory he received the championship title in a new weight category.

Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao's style

Manny Pacquiao is a truly unique boxer who has gained fame for many years. As you know, he is left-handed. His fighting style is characterized, first of all, by the highest speed and accuracy of strikes, excellent reaction, endurance and excellent footwork, as well as his signature “hurricane” - an incredible number of combinations thrown at his opponent. In addition, he has excellent strategic thinking, which allows him to always find the best position. It is also unique that, moving from flyweight to heavier weight categories, “Pac-Man” increased the power of his punches, but retained his lightning speed. Left-handed boxer Manny Pacquiao can easily be considered one of the greatest athletes of our time, and the fiery “cocktail” of speed, power and the most effective combinations is a real confirmation of this!

Manny Pacquiao Video

Manny Pacquiao - Timothy Bradley 2

And perhaps Pacquiao's best fight…

Manny Pacquiao - Miguel Cotto

Do you know how much welterweight boxer Manny Pacquiao earns on average per fight? Approximately 20 million dollars. After deducting all taxes and expenses, the amount still turns out to be quite impressive. What do you want to do with that amount of money? You can live comfortably. One fight, and you are guaranteed a comfortable and bright existence for the rest of your days. But not everyone makes such deals with the dark side of their conscience. Living purely for yourself is a very boring task. Living for the sake of others allows you to purify your soul. Manny Pacquiao is loved by the public all over the world not only for his elegant combinations in the ring, not only for his speed and smart moves, his fame is fueled by a huge and kind heart, the warmth of which warms the souls of many people.

Poor neighborhood

In one of the poorest areas of Manila, on Paquita Street, in house 1057, lives an iconic figure for the Filipino nation. His name in popularity is far ahead of all the leaders of the country, all the stars of show business and other dubious personalities. He is the No. 1 person in his homeland.

Among low-slung one- and two-story houses, in the very center of Manila's poverty, stands a seven-story mansion that became the residence of the king of Philippine and world boxing. It's not a desire to make people jealous, it's just that Manny decided that he should live where he came from. And at the same time, help our native neighborhood crawl out of the pit of poverty in every possible way.

Pacquiao earned his money through sweat, blood and a fierce belief in his own strength. He didn’t steal, didn’t cheat, didn’t get involved in dirty deeds. The guy was just doing his job, spending most of his life training, boxing. The efforts spent on his life's work were rewarded enormously. Manny is rich, but he doesn't boast about his wealth. Despite the scale of construction, the net cost of the 7-story building was only $1.1 million. This is due to the choice of an unfavorable neighborhood, where land costs several times less than in more prosperous areas of Manila.

Twenty years have passed without change here. The only new thing is my mansion. I left this place 20 years ago, but still nothing has changed.

Manny Pacquiao

The working class is closer and more understandable for Manny. World money tycoons once again made it clear to the great Philippine champion that the simplicity of people should be at the forefront. The more cunning and sarcastic a person is, the less positive emotions you feel towards him. You definitely shouldn’t expect anything good from this. The poor neighborhood right after Christ, family and boxing became the next important point in Pacquiao's life. The amount of attention that he pays to the improvement of his native streets cannot but instill in the hearts of his neighbors love and devotion to this man with a huge heart.

A multi-storey building is, first of all, a huge number of jobs, this is the essence of the project conceived by Pacquiao. Yes, he lives, works and trains in it, but at the same time, several dozen people who got a chance to make money thanks to their famous compatriot are doing the same thing. There are offices, training halls, and drinking establishments - a sort of business center named after “Manny Pacquiao”.

The attitude of the Filipinos towards their national hero can be seen by one single criterion. The majority of the Philippines is Christian, but there are also Muslims and representatives of ethnic religions among them. More than 30 years ago, Islamists began to actively fight for the recognition of some semblance of autonomy for the Muslim population. Regular units of the Philippine Army enter the fight against them. But... on the days when Manny Pacquiao fights, the fire ceases. People arrange a truce, and overnight they watch the performance of their idol on their TV screens.

The beginning of the way

Here you can see the L&M Gym, where Manny first started boxing. Could anyone really think that he was capable of turning a blind eye to the place that gave him a start in life? Local trainers helped to reveal the talent of the young boxer, who gave their all for pennies to give the world a legendary boxer who will be remembered by future generations. And although the names of these coaches will never be recognized in the world of sports, they will forever remain in the heart of the champion himself.

The story of Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao will sooner or later become the subject of a feature film. His family lived in a poor village 500 kilometers from the capital, barely finding a means of subsistence. When Manny was 14 years old, he had to leave his family because his parents could no longer provide for such an adult guy. It was then that he arrived in a poor neighborhood of Manila, where he initially worked as a gardener and laborer at a construction site. This continued until he wandered into L&M Gym. Long before that, he had already been in love with boxing thanks to the fight between James Douglas and Mike Tyson, in which “Iron Mike” unexpectedly lost to everyone.

After the first years of active training, Manny understood that amateur boxing would not bring money, so in addition to his main job, he began to participate in underground fist fights, earning a couple of bucks per victory. He tried to immediately send the proceeds to his family, who needed at least some income. Then came 1997, when Pacquiao's star really lit up. This happened after participating in a talk show for amateur boxers, a TV tournament in which the young Pacquiao won a landslide victory over all his opponents.

God is the true champion in my life.

Manny Pacquiao

The victory on the TV show made Manny very popular, and invitations to various tournaments began to pour in one after another. At first, the boxer was invited by local promotions, offering the guy professional contracts over and over again. This was followed by the championship in the fly weight category in Thailand, and then the Filipino received an invitation to his first American fight, which, by the way, ended with his grandiose victory over the South African athlete Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Such a contract could no longer be refused. The Filipino and his coaching staff were well aware that now they were given a chance that might not exist in the future. It was necessary to take the bull by the horns and conquer North America. Subsequent overseas fights brought Pacquiao one victory after another. He allegedly devoured his rivals, after which the public gave the new hero a nickname - “Pac-Man” (in honor of the video game hero of the same name).

A couple of years ago, Pacquiao lost 2 fights in a row to his main competitors for the welterweight title - Marquez and Bradley. This made many wonder if Manny's era is over, and should he choose a different weight category? The Filipino responded to these allegations with two victories in a row, in one of which he took confident revenge against Timothy Bradley. Now the boxing community is speculating about the possibility of a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather cannot be considered an absolute champion until he fights Pacquiao - that is the public opinion.

If there is a possibility of a fight with Pacquiao, then let's do it. As soon as Pacquiao fights Algieri, we can talk about it. Manny needs to focus on his opponent. Let him take this test first.

Floyd Mayweather

Arrogant, cheeky and star-struck Floyd is unlikely to attract the sympathy of poor neighborhoods, because even in his homeland in the USA, not everyone loves this asshole. Poor neighborhoods are more likely to root for Pac-Man because he represents the humble guy who rose from outright poverty to become a king and never forget his roots, paying homage to the slums that raised him from a young age.

Over American Jesse Vargas and became the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight champion. Lenta.ru recalls other striking fights of the famous boxer.

November 11, 2003. Manny Pacquiao - Marco Antonio Barrera

Pacquiao is the first and so far only boxer to win titles in eight weight categories. He started with the lightest category (up to 50.84 kilograms) and successfully rose to the first middle category (69.91 kilograms). Despite his occupation, Pacquiao is extremely religious. He constantly talks about God at press conferences, and after each fight he thanks the Almighty for his help. also by his hostility towards gays.

In 2003, in the USA, the 26-year-old Filipino met the most experienced Mexican boxer Marco Antonio Barrera. In the first round, Pacquiao was knocked down, but this misunderstanding only provoked the athlete, hungry for victory. He bombarded his venerable opponent with punches throughout the entire fight. As a result, Barrera himself was knocked down twice, and in the 11th round, the coach could not watch his charge being simply beaten, and asked to stop the fight. This is Pacquiao's first truly significant victory.

May 8, 2004. Manny Pacquiao - Juan Manuel Marquez

Already in the first round, Pacquiao sent the Mexican to the floor three times, but he got up each time. It was a real battle - the fight lasted all 12 rounds, the judges recorded a draw. The Filipino and the Mexican met three more times - Pacquiao prevailed twice, Marquez won once by knockout.

December 6, 2008. Manny Pacquiao - Oscar De La Hoya

Barcelona 1992 Olympic champion Oscar De La Hoya, nicknamed “Golden Boy,” was at that time the most famous of all the Filipino’s rivals. To meet him, Pac Man jumped to welterweight, skipping one category. De La Hoya, who had an advantage in height and arm length, was considered the undisputed favorite, but already in the debut it became clear that the experts were deeply mistaken. The American simply did not have time to react to Manny’s lightning-fast attacks: despite the “Golden Boy’s” long arms, he was getting hit hard.

Before the ninth round, the American's corner stopped the fight, and Pacquiao ascended to the boxing Olympus. De La Hoya, by the way, received such a painful blow to his pride that he never returned to the ring - the fight with the Filipino was the last in his career.

May 2, 2009. Manny Pacquiao - Ricky Hatton

The fight was a title fight. The offender of the legendary Russian boxer Kostya Tszyu, Briton Ricky Hatton defended the championship belt of the International Boxing Organization (IBO) for the second time. The fight that the audience expected did not work out - already in the first round, Hatton suffered heavy knockdowns twice. It all ended at the end of the next segment, when Pacquiao’s signature left landed on Ricky’s jaw - this knockout was recognized as the best at the end of the year. Another title for the Filipino, and the British were still being pumped out by doctors for a very long time.

Manny Pacquiao is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters of our time. This is the most famous Filipino professional boxer, world champion in several weight categories and a formidable subversive of authority, with a childish and slightly naive face. Manny was born on December 17, 1978 in Kibawa, Bukingdon, Philippines. The most popular person in his country, Manny Pacquiao leads an active political life in his homeland and acts in films.

His nickname is " Pac-Man" is a play on words in English. And how fair is this nickname, it’s best to ask those who have been with him for so many years “ packs"in the ring. Pac-Man burst into professional boxing like a whirlwind and very soon made himself talked about as a rising star. Real glory came to him when he began to fight with titled Mexicans, forcing such great warriors as Marco Antonio Barrera, Miguel Angel Cotto, Erik Morales, Antonio Margarito. Manny Pacquiao showed himself to be an aggressive and skilled puncher, always fighting at a high tempo and working closely “on the floors”, which, in the end, destroyed any defensive measures of his opponents. And taking into account the fact that his opponents were themselves skilled knockout artists, then Pac-Man simply “cut down” many of them, showing not only superior striking technique, but also phenomenal endurance.

With some of the Mexican boxers, Manny fought a whole series of battles that attracted the attention of tens of millions of people. Worth mentioning are the trilogies vs. Eric Morales And Juan Manuel Marquez. We managed to win one of the fights, the fiercest in terms of the intensity of the struggle. Erik Morales. And for many years he became the last person to raise his hand in the same ring with Manny Pacquiao, until 06/09/2012 Pac-Man did not lose a split decision to a black American Timothy Bradley.

MOSCOW, April 10 – RIA Novosti. Former world champion in eight weight categories, Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao defeated American Timothy Bradley in a fight for the WBO International welterweight title.

The third fight of the rivals, which took place on Saturday in Las Vegas, ended with a unanimous decision in favor of Pacquiao.

Famous professional boxer Emmanuel (Manny) Dapidran Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978 in Kibawe, Bukidnon Province, Philippines.

As a teenager, Manny left home and moved to live in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, where he began boxing and joined the Philippine amateur boxing team. In amateur boxing, Manny Pacquiao had 64 fights, of which he won 60 and ended in defeat in four.

At the age of 16 he made his debut in the professional ring. His debut took place on January 25, 1995 against boxer Edmund Ignacio, whom he defeated in four rounds. Ten more victorious battles followed. In February 1996, Manny lost for the first time in a fight with compatriot Rustico Torrecampo. Pacquiao subsequently went on an unbeaten streak of eight fights.

In June 1997, Manny Pacquiao knocked out Chokchai Chokwiwat (Thailand) to win the OPBF (Eastern and Pacific Boxing Federation) flyweight championship. After this fight, serious boxing organizations began to show interest in Pacquiao. In December 1998, Pacquiao received the opportunity to fight for the WBC (World Boxing Council) championship. In a fight against professional boxer Chatchai Sasakul (Thailand), Manny won by knockout in the eighth round. But already in September 1999, in a fight against another Thai, Medgoen Singsurata lost in the third round.

In December 1999, Manny Pacquiao made his debut in the super bantamweight division against Filipino Reynante Jamili and won by technical knockout. Pacquiao won the WBC international title and defended it five times before he got the chance to fight for the IBF (International Boxing Association) championship.

In June 2001, Manny Pacquiao entered the ring against South African Lehlo Ledwaba and defeated him by technical knockout, becoming the IBF world champion.

In the next fight, Pacquiao competed against WBO (World Boxing Organization) champion Dominican Agapito Sanchez, the fight ended in a draw by decision of the judges. After the fight with Sanchez, Pacquiao met in the ring with Colombian Jorge Eliser Julio, a two-time world bantamweight champion. The Filipino won in the second round. In the next fight, Manny knocked down Thai Fakhprakorb Rakkiyatjim three times in the first round and then knocked him out.

In July 2003, Pacquiao won a stunning victory over the Mexican fighter Emmanuel Lucero, whom no one could defeat before. He defeated the Mexican by technical knockout in the third round.

In November 2003, Manny Pacquiao met with the legendary Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. Almost the entire fight, the Filipino suppressed his opponent with his powerful onslaught and in the eleventh round the fight was stopped. Manny won the world title according to The Ring magazine. After this fight, Pacquiao became a boxing superstar in the Philippines and gained great popularity in the United States.

In May 2004, he fought against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, WBA and WBF featherweight champion. The match ended in a draw.

In March 2005, Manny Pacquiao moved up to the second featherweight division and met with boxing legend, Mexican Erik Morales. In this battle, the Mexican won. The next meeting of the same fighters took place in January 2006. Manny won at the end of the 10th round.

In June 2008, the Filipino moved up to the lightweight category and took the WBC championship belt from American David Diaz.

In November 2009, Pacquiao entered the ring against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. Manny Pacquiao became the winner and holder of the WBO welterweight championship belt. He also received a special WBC belt.

In November 2010, Manny entered the ring against Mexican Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Pacquiao won the world title and became the first boxer in history to win 10 world titles in eight different weight classes.

In 2011, the Filipino returned to welterweight and scored two victories against American Shane Mosley and Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez.

In June 2012, Manny Pacquiao was unable to defend his WBO welterweight championship belt, losing sensationally to American Timothy Bradley.

In December 2012, the Filipino again entered the ring against the Mexican Marquez and lost to him by knockout in the sixth round. Marquez's victory became the event of the year in the boxing world.

In April 2014, Manny Pacquiao had a rematch with Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao became the winner and holder of the WBO championship belt.

On May 2, 2015, Manny Pacquiao lost to American Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the championship titles of the World Boxing Association (WBA Super), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO).

In total, Manny Pacquiao had 65 fights in the professional ring, in which he scored 58 victories (38 by knockout), suffered six defeats and ended two fights in a draw.

Manny Pacquiao - world champion in flyweight (WBC, 1998-1999), 2nd bantamweight (IBF, 2001-2003), featherweight (The Ring, 2003-2005), 2nd featherweight (WBC, 2008; The Ring, 2008 ), lightweight (WBC, 2008-2009), 1st welterweight (The Ring, 2009-2010), welterweight (WBO, 2009-2012, 2014-2015) and 1st middleweight (WBC, 2010-2011) weight categories .

Since 2007, Manny Pacquiao has been active in politics. In 2009, he formed his own party, the People's Champ Movement.

In 2010, the athlete won elections to the lower house of the Philippine Parliament, where he represents the Liberal Party of the Philippines. Pacquiao has announced his intention to run for the Philippine Senate in 2016.

Manny Pacquiao has also starred in several films and released two music albums.

The boxer is married to Jinkee Pacquiao (since 2013 - vice-governor of Sarangani province), they have five children.