Pacquiao's journey in boxing spans 28 years and is filled with incredible moments. He started by winning the WBC flyweight title in Thailand back in 1998. The young fighter knocked out Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round after a tough start to the fight.
In 2001, Pacquiao made his American debut at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He jumped in as a last-minute replacement and won the IBF super bantamweight title from Lehlo Ledwaba. The victory was even more impressive because Pacquiao only had two weeks to prepare.
Two years later, Pacquiao dominated Marco Antonio Barrera in Texas to win The Ring featherweight title. He stopped Barrera in the 11th round. After the fight, Barrera said:
"He punches hard, and he's a great fighter. I couldn't see a lot of things."
Pacquiao kept moving up in weight and collecting titles. In 2008, he won a close fight against Juan Manuel Marquez for the WBC super featherweight title. Pacquiao knocked Marquez down in the third round, but the decision was controversial. After the fight, Pacquiao admitted:
"I was not convinced by my performance, and I wasn't able to deliver what the people expected of me. That's boxing. There are instances where you don't win a one-sided fight. You can't always beat your opponent in a lopsided way. They also have fists. It so happened that my fight was close."
Later that year, Pacquiao won the WBC lightweight title from David Diaz in Las Vegas. In 2009, he knocked out Ricky Hatton in just two rounds to win the IBO super lightweight title. Hatton was stunned by Pacquiao's power, saying:
"That punch would've knocked out a donkey."
Pacquiao's run of success continued as he moved up to welterweight. He beat Miguel Cotto for the WBO title in 2009 and then jumped up to super welterweight to defeat Antonio Margarito for the WBC title in 2010. The fight with Margarito was brutal, with Pacquiao fracturing Margarito's orbital bone. Margarito later admitted:
"In that fight, I said that there would be no problems; I said that I did not mind him hitting me six times at a time, because when I caught him, I was going to put him away because of this weight limit. But I was wrong because Pacquiao, apart from being accurate, was very fast, had a good shot, and hit very hard."
Over the next decade, Pacquiao won and lost the welterweight title several times. His most recent title win came in 2019 against Keith Thurman, making Pacquiao the oldest welterweight champion at the time. Before the fight, Pacquiao said:
"I'm just so motivated for this fight. He talks too much, but when he gets in the ring with me, it will be a different story. He's even gotten my mom upset, so yeah, I'm always motivated for every contest, but this is a little extra."
His trainer, Freddie Roach, added:
"Manny is a little angry. That makes him more aggressive, and I like it when he comes forward."
Now, at 45, Pacquiao is considering a comeback against Mario Barrios, who's 16 years younger. If he wins, he'll add a fifth welterweight title to his collection. Former champion Shawn Porter believes Pacquiao has a good chance, saying:
"I think Pac will come back. And I think he will win that fight against Barrios."
Pacquiao's career is full of records. He's the first four-time welterweight champion and has won titles from flyweight all the way up to super welterweight. He was named The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year in both 2008 and 2009. His full record shows just how impressive his career has been.
From humble beginnings in poverty to becoming one of boxing's greatest champions, Manny Pacquiao's story is truly remarkable. If he does return to the ring, fans will surely be eager to see if he can add one more chapter to his legendary career.