Manny Pacquiao Biography

Sep 05, 2018

Birthdate: December 17, 1978
Birthplace: General Santos City, Philippines

Think boxing is dead? This Filipino superstar is proving that boxing has someone worth watching! Here's the lowdown on the best pound for pound fighter in the world!

Childhood

Manny was the second of four children. After his father left the family when Manny still was in grade school, he was forced to be the man of the household. As a child he worked selling bread around the neighborhood. Manny also discovered he was a talented fighter at a young age. Aside from selling bread, he fought people around the neighborhood for small amounts of money. By the time he was 15, Manny had started training seriously. The training, plus working construction during the day, he became a strong fighter - despite weighing only 106 pounds at the time. The next year, Manny had his first professional bout defeating Edmund Ignacio in a four rounds.

Rise to the Top

Manny Pacquiao hit the big time in December 1998, when he defeated Chartchai Sasakul in eight rounds to become the WBA Flyweight Champion. Although he lost the belt less than a year later, he bulked up to 122 pounds and became the IBF Super Bantamweight Champion in June, 2001. In the next year, Manny defeated some of boxing's biggest names including Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. After defeating Eric Morales twice in one year, Manny was named Ring Magazine's Fighter of the Year in 2006. Manny is currently the WBC Super Featherweight Champion (130 pounds) and WBC Lightweight Champion (140 pounds). After defeating David Diaz in June 2008, Manny's record stands at 47-3-2.

One of a Kind

No matter what weight class Manny chooses to fight in, he succeeds. Manny has the rare combination of speed and power. Out of Pacquiao's 47 career wins, 35 of them were knock outs. Manny also has great defensive skills and has the ability to take punches. Undoubtedly, Manny is the best pound for pound boxer since Roy Jones Jr. With Floyd Mayweather retiring, Manny is the premier face of boxing today!

Did U Know?

Manny Pacquiao is 5'6" tall.
Manny Pacquiao's full name is Emmanuel Dapigran Pacquiao.
Manny Pacquiao's nicknames are Pac-Man and the Destroyer.
Manny Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee are the proud parents of two children: Jemuel and Michael.
Manny Pacquiao has endorsement deals with Nike and McDonalds.
Manny Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat in 2007 to represent the first district of South Catabato, Philippines. He lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio.
Basketball star Kevin Garnett is a huge Manny Pacquiao fan. Garnett, along with his Boston Celtics' teammates attended the Pacquiao-Diaz fight just a few weeks after winning the NBA title.

Manny Says...

"When I am in the ring I am also fighting for my people. I want to make my country proud and make my fans happy. It is very important to me because my country is important to me. That is why I must win. Our fight is bigger than the two of us because we carry more into the ring than most other fighters. We carry the heart and soul of our people, and the pride and honor of our nations. The pressure on us is enormous which is why I will be on the attack the second I hear the bell for round one. But there can only be one winner and that winner must be me and it will be me."