Emerging from an early life of hardship, Manny Pacquiao rose to become a figure who is instantly recognized the world over. His exploits in the boxing ring will forever be remembered by afficionados of the sport, unlikely ever to be matched or equaled in any shape or form. Born in Kibawe and raised in General Santos, moving to Manila is what made him the man he is today.
“Pacquiao has a myth of origin equal to that of any Greek or Roman hero,” said Time Magazine back in 2009. He was “the poor boy who loves to box” the publication stated, highlighting a passion for the sport which eventually led him to the Philippine capital. However, the man himself has clarified that boxing didn’t lead him to Manilla, it was poverty and the need to earn money elsewhere.
Nevertheless, it was in Manila where Pacquiao began his rise to world stardom. As an amateur boxer he wasn’t held in particularly high regard originally, despite reportedly boasting a record of 64 fights with just 4 defeats. But once he turned professional, the pathway to stardom was paved by determination. “I realized that boxing was something I was good at, and I trained hard so that I could keep myself and my family alive,” Pacquiao once told the China Daily.
By the age of 19, with 23 wins and just one defeat under his belt, Pacquiao won the WBC Flyweight title in December 1998. That was the springboard to international fame and fortune, during one of the most decorated careers any boxer has ever managed to achieve. Pacquiao defeated 22 world champions, winning twelve major world titles in eight different weight divisions, along with lineal championships in five different weight classes.
From 2003 to 2016, Pacquiao was the longest reigning top-ten active boxer, according to the pound-for-pound lists published by The Ring and other sports media outlets. He was also amongst the highest earning sportsmen in the world, generating more than $1.2 billion in revenue from 22 pay-per-view bouts, whilst also being recognized by boxing journalists as “Fighter of the Decade” through the 2000’s.
Nevertheless, the timeless truth about boxing is that no matter how good one individual may be, anyone can be beaten. That’s an ageless element which has made the sport of pugilism so popular. This is one of the reasons why boxing attracts plenty of wagering action, although these days with so many online sportsbooks to choose from, it also makes good sense for us to choose carefully where we place our bets.
Just like any other professional sport, boxers and their promotors will always weigh up the pros and cons of any potential bout. We can do the same ourselves whenever thinking of betting on any contests, utilizing the age-old adage that knowledge is power. Asiabet helps bettors to make informed choices, via in-depth reviews and comparisons of all the major Asian betting sites, carefully vetted for their safety and overall quality of service.
Largely due to his magnificent past achievements, Pacquiao had been widely tipped to beat Yordenis Ugás in August of this year, although he ended up losing the WBA (Super) Welterweight title via unanimous decision against the Cuban. Aged 42 years and 227 days when “Pacman” entered the ring for that bout, wiser bettors will have taken that into account, underlining why expert research and local insight is always worth considering.
We don’t yet know what the future holds for Pacquiao, whether he will choose to retire from boxing to focus on his political responsibilities and business interests, along with his involvement in other sports including basketball. Whatever “Pacman” decides to do, he will always be regarded as a national hero amongst Filipino sports fans, having earned a legendary status that was hard-earned and thoroughly deserved.
His record also speaks for itself as the only boxer to hold world titles across four decades, Pacquiao remains the only eight-division world champion in boxing history, laying down a benchmark that nobody will ever likely match or surpass. Indeed, it’s fair to say the iconic and mythical status of Pacquiao is both assured and guaranteed to endure, making him the greatest boxer of all time.
