Manny Pacquiao: The Filipino Icon

Manny Pacquiao: The Filipino Icon

 By Will Lott

Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao was still a teenager when he left his home on a ship bound for Manila, the capital of the Philippines, with a dream to become a professional boxer. A dream he would not only conquer but one that would exceed all expectations.

Now in his 40s, Pacquiao is happily retired, a politician in his home country, an occasional basketball player and the only eight-division world champion in boxing history. So beloved amongst the Filipino people, there are even rumours the crime rate drops to zero on the night of his fights.

As with many champions through the years, Pacquiao’s hunger and drive will have certainly come in part from his difficult childhood growing up. Pacquiao spent time living on the streets growing up, having to use his fists early on to help him survive while struggling to even find a meal a day.

Pacquiao even had to lie about his age to secure himself a professional licence, claiming he was 18 when in fact he was only 16 when he made his debut, a similar age to that of Canelo Alvarez. By the age of 20, he’d fought twenty-five times and found himself a flyweight world champion, just a few days shy of his 20th birthday before suffering his first defeat three fights later.

It was when Pacquiao made the move towards light-welterweight and welterweight he truly announced himself on the scene as a true superstar. He would go on to fight the likes of Shane Mosley, Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton as well as starting his legendary rivalry with Mexican icon Juan Manuel Marquez.

But of course, throughout this run, the fight the fans dreamed of with Floyd Mayweather continued to evade the fans until 2015, when arguably past their best, they finally met in Vegas in a fight many deemed disappointing. It grossed upwards of half a billion but it certainly wasn’t a fight for the ages, more a boxing clinic from Mayweather.

Pacquiao would go on to become a world champion again but as with age, his speed and power began to decline and he suffered shock defeats to the likes of Jeff Horn and Yordenis Ugas to finish his career.

However, despite his iconic career, Pacquiao has also come in for some criticism. It has long been known that Pacquiao is a heavily religious man and with that has come accusations of homophobia. He was rightfully criticised for his comments when he described homosexuals as ‘worse than animals.’ Add to this, he also had a case to face in his home country for tax evasion, a battle which started in 2012 and only concluded recently with the case against Pacquiao finally being dismissed.

Pacquiao is a sure thing for the boxing Hall of Fame and rightfully in the conversation as an all-time great. Quite likely, he will be the only eight-division world champion we will ever see.