Emmanuel Dapidran “Manny” Pacquiao,
(born December 17, 1978) is a Filipino professional boxer and politician,
currently serving as Senator of the Philippines. In boxing he has
held the WBO welterweight title since 2016, and is currently in his
third reign with that title.
Pacquiao is widely considered to
be one of the greatest boxers of all time. He is the first and only
eight division world champion, having won eleven major world titles,
as well as being the first boxer to win the lineal title in five different
weight classes. Pacquiao is also the third boxer in history to win
major world titles in three of the original eight weight divisions
of boxing, also known as the “glamour divisions” (flyweight, featherweight,
and welterweight).
Pacquiao has generated approximately 19.2
million in pay-per-view buys and $1.2 billion in revenue from his
23 PPV bouts. According to Forbes, he was the second highest paid
athlete in the world as of 2015.
Beyond boxing, Pacquiao has
participated in basketball, business, acting, music recording and
politics. In May 2010, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives
in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, representing the province
of Sarangani. He was re-elected in 2013 to the 16th Congress of the
Philippines. In June 2016, Pacquiao was elected as a senator and will
serve a six year term until 2022.
While mostly focused on being
a boxer and a politician, Pacquiao is listed as the head coach of
the basketball team Mahindra Floodbuster. He was also drafted onto
the team as 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2014 PBA draft,
making him the oldest rookie drafted, as well as the shortest player
and the first dual-sport athlete in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Professional career
Flyweight
Pacquiao’s weight increased from
106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo
via a third round knockout, he was caught with a looping left hand
flush on the chin which he couldn’t get up from. Pacquiao failed to
make the required weight, so he was forced to use heavier gloves than
Torrecampo, thereby putting him at a disadvantage.
Following
the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao continued undefeated for his next 15
fights. He went on another unbeaten run that saw him take on the more
experienced Chokchai Chockvivat in flyweight division. Pacquiao knocked
out Chockvivat in the fight round and took the OPBF Flyweight title.
After one official defense and two non-title bouts, Pacquiao got his
first opportunity to fight for a world title.