Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH (/ˈpæki.aʊ/ PAK-ee-ow; Tagalog: [pɐkˈjaʊ];[4] born December 17, 1978) is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first and only eight-division world champion,[5] in which he has won ten world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes.[6] He is also the second highest paid athlete in the world.[7][8]He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s (decade) by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). He is also a three-time The Ring and BWAA "Fighter of the Year," winning the award in 2006, 2008 and 2009, and the Best Fighter ESPY Award in 2009 and 2011.[9]
He was long rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by some sporting news and boxing websites, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sporting Life, Yahoo! Sports, About.com, BoxRec and The Ring.[10][11] In April 2012, Pacquiao dropped to number two in the rankings, behind Floyd Mayweather, Jr.[12] He is currently ranked number seven on The Ring pound for pound list.[13]Aside from boxing, Pacquiao has participated in 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
Personal life
Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines. He is the son of Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionesia Dapidran-Pacquiao.[15] His parents separated when he was in sixth grade, after his mother discovered that his father was living with another woman.[15] He is the fourth among six siblings: Liza Silvestre-Onding and Domingo Silvestre (from first husband of his mother) and Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan, Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao and Rogelio Pacquiao. Pacquiao is married to Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora,[16] and they have four children: Emmanuel Jr. "Jimuel", Michael, Princess, and Queen Elizabeth "Queenie." He resides in his hometown General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.[17] However, as a congressman of lone district of Sarangani, he is officially residing in Kiamba, Sarangani, the hometown of his wife.
Pacquiao was a devout Roman Catholic.[18] Within the ring, he frequently makes the sign of the cross and every time he comes back from a successful fight abroad, he attends a thanksgiving Mass in Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila to kneel and pray. Following his defeat by Juan Manuel Márquez, his mother condemned him leaving the Catholic church. Pastor Jeric Sorino, Pacquiao's spiritual adviser, comes from the Alabang New Life Christian Center in Muntinlupa.[19]Pacquiao is also a military reservist with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army.[20] Prior to being commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he first entered the Army's reserve force on April 27, 2006 as a Sergeant. Later, he rose to Technical Sergeant on December 1 of the same year. On October 7, 2007, he became a Master Sergeant, the highest rank in the enlisted personnel. On May 4, 2009, he was given the special rank of Senior Master Sergeant and was also designated as the Command Sergeant Major of the 15th Ready Reserve Division.[21]
Education
Pacquiao completed his elementary education at Saavedra Saway Elementary School in General Santos City, but dropped out of high school due to extreme poverty.[22] He left his home at age 14 because his mother, who had six children, was not making enough money to support her family.[22]In February 2007 he took, and passed, a high school equivalency exam making him eligible for college education.[23] He was awarded with a high school diploma by the Department of Education. Pacquiao enrolled for a college degree in business management at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) in his hometown in General Santos City.
On February 18, 2009, Pacquiao was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) by Southwestern University (SWU) at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino in Lahug, Cebu City in recognition of his boxing achievements and humanitarian work.[24]In preparation for his career as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Pacquiao enrolled in the Certificate Course in Development, Legislation and Governance at the Development Academy of the Philippines – Graduate School of Public and Development Management (DAP-GSPDM).[25]
Amateur boxing career
At the age of 14, Pacquiao moved to Manila and lived, for a time, on the streets. He started boxing and made the Philippine national amateur boxing team where his room and board were paid for by the government. Pacquiao reportedly had an amateur record of 64 fights (60–4).[26]
Professional boxing career
Light Flyweight
In 1995, the death of a young aspiring boxer and close friend, Eugene Barutag, spurred the young Pacquiao to pursue a professional boxing career.[27] Pacquiao started his professional boxing career when he was just 16 years old, stood at 4'11'' and weighed 98 pounds (7 pounds under the minimumweight division). He admitted before American media that he put weights in his pockets to make the 105-pound weight limit.[28] His early light flyweight division fights took place in small local venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show. His professional debut was a four-round bout against Edmund "Enting" Ignacio, on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, becoming an instant star of the program. Pacquiao's weight increased from 106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round knockout. Pacquiao failed to make the required weight, so he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting him at a disadvantage.[29]
Flyweight
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 fifth round and took the OPBF Flyweight title.[30] After one official defense and two non-title bouts, Pacquiao got his first opportunity to fight for a world title.
Pacquiao vs. Sasakul
Pacquiao captured the Lineal and WBC Flyweight titles (his first major boxing world title) over Chatchai Sasakul by way of knockout in the eighth round. He defended the titles successfully against Mexican Gabriel Mira via a fourth-round technical knockout. However, Pacquiao lost the Lineal title in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, also known as Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-round knockout. The bout was held in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Singsurat got Pacquiao on the ropes and landed a flush straight right to the body, coiling Pacquiao over and keeping him there. Pacquiao lost the WBC title at the scales, as he surpassed the weight limit of 112 pounds.
Super Bantamweight
Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight and skipped the super flyweight and bantamweight divisions. This time, Pacquiao went to super bantamweight, or junior featherweight, division of 122 pounds, where he picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title. He defended this title five times before his chance for a world title fight came.
Pacquiao vs. Ledwaba
Pacquiao's big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight title holder Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement on two weeks' notice but won the fight by technical knockout to win the title, his second major boxing world title. The bout was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao went on to defend this title four times under head trainer Freddie Roach, owner of the famous Wild Card Gym in West Hollywood.
Featherweight
Pacquiao vs. Barrera I
On November 15, 2003, Pacquiao faced Marco Antonio Barrera at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, in a fight that many consider to have defined his career. Pacquiao, who was fighting at featherweight for the first time, brought his power with him and defeated Barrera via technical knockout in the eleventh round, the only knockout loss in Barrera's career, and won the Lineal & The Ring Featherweight Championship, making him the first Filipino and Asian to become a three-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in three different weight divisions. He defended the title twice before relinquishing it in 2005.[31]
On November 24, 2003, the then Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred on Pacquiao the Presidential Medal of Merit at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañan Palace for his knockout victory over the best featherweight boxer of the world. The following day, the members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines presented the House Resolution No. 765, authored by the then House Speaker Jose De Venecia and Bukidnon Representative Juan Miguel Zubiri, which honored Pacquiao the Congressional Medal of Achievement for his exceptional achievements. Pacquiao is the first sportsman to receive such an honor from the House of Representatives.[32][33]
Pacquiao vs. Marquez I
Six months after the fight with Barrera, Pacquiao went on to challenge Juan Manuel Márquez, who at the time held both the WBA and IBF Featherweight titles. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, on May 8, 2004. In the first round, Márquez was caught cold, as he was knocked down three times by Pacquiao. However, Márquez showed great heart to recover from the early knockdowns and went on to win the majority of rounds thereafter. This was largely due to Márquez's counterpunch style, which he managed to effectively utilize against the aggressive style of Pacquiao. At the end of a very close fight, both boxers felt they had done enough to win the fight. The bout was scored a draw, which proved to be a controversial decision.[34]
The final scores were 115–110 for Márquez, 115–110 for Pacquiao and 113–113.[34] The judge who scored the bout 113–113 admitted to making an error on the scorecards, having scored the first round as 10–7 in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard 10–6 for a three-knockdown round. If he had scored the round 10–6 for Pacquiao (as the other two judges did), the result would have been a split decision in favor of Pacquiao.[34] However most pundits scored the fight to Marquez [35][not in citation given].[14]
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