Bio

At the age of 29, Manny is a 13-year pro - he made his debut at 16. He has been fighting at the top levels of competition and given some of the most exciting performances in recent years.
An aggressive lefthanded slugger, Manny is recognized as one of the hardest punchers at any weight. He is 19-1-2 with 17 knockouts in his last 22 fights.
He is coming off a 12-round unanimous decision win in the rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera in his last fight on October 6, and showed another side of his talents - Manny dominated the fight with his boxing ability and movement.
After the fight, Doug Fischer reported on Maxboxing.com, “The return bout...was intense and dramatic enough in spots to thoroughly entertain the near sell-out crowd inside the Mandalay Bay Event Center. Pacquaio has developed in to a well-rounded power-boxer with much improved ring generalship and added wrinkles to his trademark one-two offense, such as a good right hook, improved balance and footwork and underrated head and upper-body movement.
“Pacquiao landed the harder, cleaner blows during most of the exchanges, and as he pursued Barrera, who often back-pedaled on his toes looking to counter punch, he did so behind an educated right jab and constant head movement.”
Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com, “Pacquiao...boxed well, picked his shots and basically outhustled and outworked the Mexican legend to notch another big win on his ever-growing resume.”
Fightwriter.com’s Graham Houston reported, “Pacquiao...always seemed comfortably in control of the situation, which was reflected in the scores of 118-109, 118-109 and 115-112. The last score seemed surprisingly close...”
A former two-time world champion, Manny won the WBC flyweight world title two weeks before his 20th birthday in December, 1998, and held the title for nearly a year. He held the IBF jr. featherweight world title from June, 2001, until he vacated it on January 15, 2004, to move up to the featherweight division.
Manny was named “2006 Fighter of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring.
From TheRing-online.com: “It’s amazing what a little guy with a big smile and an even bigger punch can accomplish. While the heavyweight division was bogged down by mediocrity last year, the junior lightweight class soared to new heights thanks in large part to Manny Pacquiao, The Ring’s 2006 Fighter of the Year.”
After Manny’s sensational knockout win against former four-time world champion Erik Morales last November, Dan Rafael wrote, “Pacquiao is, hands down, the world’s most exciting fighter. His rubber match with Morales was a spectacular action fight for three rounds - almost Hagler-Hearns-like. And the atmosphere, with 18,276 deliriously wild fans, was absolutely electrifying and unforgettable. Stick some casual sports fans in the middle of that kind of scene and they will become boxing fans for life. Pacquiao walked through whatever Morales could land and destroyed him, scoring three knockdowns to win their glorious trilogy 2-1.”
Graham Houston reported from ringside, “Marvin Hagler against Thomas Hearns remains the greatest three-round fight in boxing history, but Manny Pacquiao’s third round destruction of Erik Morales can surely be mentioned in the same breath. The rubber match between the 130-pound rivals was fast and furious while it lasted... This was, quite simply, the best Pacquiao we have yet seen: a two-handed punching machine who displayed greater ring generalship and more upper body movement than I think he has ever shown before.” In an earlier report, Graham wrote, “There is a saying in American boxing: ‘Speed kills.’ When that speed is accompanied by power, it is truly a formidable combination - and Pacquiao has it.”
Manny is a national hero in the Philippines. During his fight against former former WBC super bantamweight world champion Oscar Larios on July 2 in Manila, the city came to a standstill. A local journalist reported, “All traffic and work stopped in Manila as Pacquiao and Larios battled it out. City police director Senior Superintendent Alfredo Toroctocon said few vehicles were visible downtown for the duration of the fight, as people were glued to their television sets. “The city looked like a ghost town and there were no vehicles on the streets”. The Metro Manila Region Police Office reported that the incidents of crime dropped to zero for the duration of the fight. “The criminals and their would-be victims were glued to their TV sets.” The police districts all said they received no reports on major crime incidents for the duration of the championship. [End local report]
Among his fans is Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She said, “The victory of Pacquiao is a victory of the more than 76 million Filipinos, and the entire nation joins him in celebrating.”
Manny’s nickname is “PacMan.” His webpage address is mannypacquiao.ph.

Key Fights – 2007 – 5TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - in his last fight on 10-6-07 in Las Vegas, NV, he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the rematch against 33 year-old former three-time WBO jr. featherweight, IBF jr. lightweight and WBC super featherweight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (63-5): the bout headlined at Mandalay Bay and drew a crowd of 10,112, and Manny dominated the fight; Barrera had his moments – he rocked Manny with a right hand in the 3rd round and scored with a hard left hook and left uupercut in the 5th, but Manny pressed forward and consistently outworked him; Manny staggered Barrera and cut him under his right eye in the 11th round, and Barrera was penalized one point for punching on a break later in the round after he staggered Manny with a right hand; scored 118-109, 118-109, 115-112; after the fight, Manny said, ““It was a good fight, and it was different from the first fight. He’s a good, smart boxer. I’m satisfied with the result. I knew he would have to box me this time around. I thought the people were happy with that fight. I’m trying to make people happy, to give a good fight. I hope that people liked this fight tonight. We did our best. I was careful in this fight. He’s still a good fighter. I was just lucky in the first fight that it happened like that.”...

4TH WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 4-14-07 in San Antonio, TX, he knocked out Jorge Solis (32-0-2): the fight headlined at the Alamodome and drew a crowd of 14,793; the early rounds were tactical and close, and both were effective at times; Manny was cut over his left eye by a clash of heads in the 6th round, but rocked Solis later in the round; Manny stepped up his pace in the 7th round, then scored two knockdowns in the 8th – both with left hands – and he was counted out at 1:16; after the fight, Manny said, “In the early rounds I took it easy, but when I got a cut I was throwing more combinations and pretty soon I knocked him out.”...

2006 – 3RD WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 11-18-06 in Las Vegas, NV, he knocked out former WBC super bantamweight, two-time featherweight, and super featherweight world champion Erik Morales (48-4): the fight headlined at the Thomas & Mack Center and drew an announced crowd of 18,276; Morales gave a tremendous effort, but Manny gave a sensational performance, dominated the fight, and quickly overpowered him; Manny rocked Morales with a right hook in the 1st round and scored a knockdown with a straight left hand in the 2nd; Manny staggered Morales, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches in the 3rd round – Morales came back with a furious attack and rocked Manny, but Manny scored another knockdown and Morales was counted out at 2:57;

2ND WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 7-2-06 in Manila, PHIL, he won a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBC super bantamweight world champion Oscar Larios (56-4-1): the fight headlined at the historic Araneta Coliseum, the site of the “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975; Larios had some early success and staggered Manny in the 3rd round, but Manny came back and cut Larios over the left eye later in the round; several rounds were close, but Manny had the edge in most and and gave Larios a severe beating; Manny scored one knockdown in the 7th round and another in the 12th, and won by scores of 120-106, 118-108, 117-111; after the fight, Manny said, “Their plan was for me to finish the match early, but my plan was that I would not rush, as long as I’m ahead on points. Sometimes if you rush, you may have a problem, because he can squeeze in a punch.”...

1ST WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE DEFENSE - on 1-21-06 in Las Vegas he TKO’d defending champion Erik Morales (48-3): the rematch headlined at the Thomas & Mack Center, and drew announced crowd of 14,618; it was an exciting fight, and both gave tremendous efforts; the early rounds were close, but Morales rallied and swept rounds three through five on all three scorecards and after five rounds, led by scores of 49-46, 48-47, 48-47; but Manny came on strongly in the 6th - he consistently landed the harder punches and swept rounds six through nine on all three scorecards; Manny scored two knockdowns in the 10th - the first with a straight left hand, the second after a series of punches - and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 2:33; after nine rounds, Manny led by scores of 86-85, 87-84, 87-84; after the fight, Manny said, “The first fight was tough for me to go to the body because I had the bloody eye. The big difference is that I could see, I could see his punches coming. I saw I hurt him every time I hit him in the body. I wasn’t expecting to knock him out. I was lucky that I was to get to his body and his head.”..; Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported, “Pacquiao...put on a spectacular performance in a sensational action fight.”...

2005 - WON VACANT WBC INTERNATIONAL SF TITLE - on 9-10-05 in Los Angeles, CA, he TKO’d Hector Velazquez (42-10-2): Velazquez started fast and gave a good effort, but Manny outworked Velazquez, landed the harder punches, and dominated most of the fight; Manny staggered Velazquez with a right hook in the 6th round, then scored a knockdown moments later; Velazquez got up at the count of eight, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:59; after five rounds, Manny led by scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47; after the fight, Manny said, “This is exactly what we trained for. It was the body shots that set him up for the K.O.”…

On 3-19-05 in Las Vegas, NV, lost a 12 round unanimous decision against former WBC super bantamweight, featherweight, and super featherweight world champion Erik Morales (47-2): it was one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year, and it was boxing at its best; the event drew a capacity crowd of 14,623 to the MGM Grand, and it was a ferocious battle that repeatedly brought the fans to their feet; it was a very close fight, and the momentum shifted back and forth - Manny started fast and won the first and third rounds on all three scorecards, but Morales weathered the early storm and rallied in the middle and late rounds; Morales won the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds on two scorecards, then the eighth, tenth, and eleventh on all three; Manny was cut over the right eye in the 5th round - ruled by a punch - but he won the seventh round on two scorecards, and swept the ninth and twelfth; both stood toe-to-toe in the final round and punched nonstop until the bell; all three judges scored the fight 115-113; after the fight, Manny said, “I couldn’t see out of one eye, and it was very hard. If I am not cut on one eye, I think I can knock him out. But I did my best and gave everyone a good fight.”…

2004 - on 12-11-04 in Taguig City, PHIL, he TKO’d Fahsan Thawatchai (44-7-1): the event drew an estimated crowd of 25,000 at The Fort, and Manny gave a devastating performance; he scored one knockdown in the 2nd round, another in the 3rd, and two more in the 4th - Fahsan was out cold, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 1:26…

IBF, WBA F WORLD TITLE CHALLENGE - on 5-8-04 in Las Vegas, NV, he fought to a 12 round draw against defending champion Juan Manuel Marquez (42-2): Manny scored three knockdowns in the 1st round, and Marquez’ nose was injured badly and bled throughout the fight; but Marquez showed tremendous heart and determination, gradually recovered, and boxed effectively for much of the fight; Marquez swept rounds three through six on two judges’ scorecards - he rocked Manny and cut him over the right eye in the 5th, and staggered him in the 6th; the second half of the fight was exciting, and the momentum went back and forth - Manny landed the harder punches, but Marquez kept a busier pace and won four of the last six rounds on one scorecard, and five on another; the final scores were 115-110 Marquez, 115-110 Pacquiao, 113-113; after the fight, Manny said, “I’m disappointed. I thought I won, I didn’t think it was close. I thought I took his fight away from him.”…

2003 - in his last fight on 11-15-03 in San Antonio, TX, he TKO’d former three-time WBO jr. featherweight world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (57-3): the fight was at 126 pounds, and Barrera, considered by many observers to be the world’s best featherweight, was a 4-1 favorite to win; but Manny gave a sensational performance; he was knocked down in the 1st round - replays showed that he was tripped when the punch was thrown - but dominated the rest of the fight; Manny scored a knockdown in the 3rd round, then rocked Barrera with several punches later in the round; he relentlessly pressured Barrera, landed the harder punches and wore him down; Barrera’s left eye was swollen in the 4th round, and he was cut over the same eye by a clash of heads in the 7th; Barrera was also penalized one point for punching on the break in the 9th round; Manny scored another knockdown in the 11th round - Barrera got up, but Manny rocked him with a series of punches and Barrera’s corner stopped the fight at 2:56; after 10 rounds, Manny led by scores of 97-88, 97-90, 97-90; after the fight, Manny said, “I really focused through this fight. “Very early, I knew I was going to knock him out. When I knocked him down in the third, I thought it was over. But he came back. I’m surprised he lasted that long.”…

4TH IBF JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 7-26-03 in Los Angeles, CA, he knocked out previously undefeated Emmanuel Lucero (21-0-1): it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Lucero was an awkward opponent - he pressed forward, dipped almost to the canvas at times and lunged at Manny with wide punches; Manny landed a single left hand in the 3rd round that sent Lucero staggering across the ring, out on his feet, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:48 as Lucero slumped to the canvas; after the fight, Manny said, “He was way too low. He looked like an amateur fighter.”…
On 3-15-03 in Manila, PH, he TKO’d Serik Eshmagametov (13-18-1): the fight drew an announced attendance of 50,000 to Manila’s historic Luneta Park; Manny scored a knockdown in the 1st round, but Eshmagametov rallied and scored a knockdown in the 4th; Manny came back strongly, scored two knockdowns in the 5th round, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:52…

2002 - 3RD IBF JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-26-02 in Davao, PH, he TKO’d Fahproakob Sithkwenim (36-2): the fight was held at Rizal Memorial College gymnasium, and drew a crowd of about 3,000; Manny scored four knockdowns in the 1st round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:36; after the fight, Manny said, “I really prepared for the fight. I was really surprised why he got down when I hit him with a right cross. I studied his punch and he always brought down his left hand.”…
2ND IBF JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-8-02 in Memphis, TN, he knocked out Jorge Julio (44-3): the fight was the co-featured bout under the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson main event; Manny scored two knockdowns early in the 2nd round and bloodied Julio’s nose; Julio got up both times, but Manny rocked him again and the referee stopped the fight at 1:09; after the fight, Manny said, “I hope that now people will start to respect me a little more. The plan was to come out and let him feel my power early. I knew after the first knockdown that it was a matter of time.I didn’t think it would be that easy.”…

2001 – 1ST IBF JF WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 10-11-01 in San Francisco, CA, he had a technical draw against WBO world champion Agapito Sanchez (33-7-1): it was a very dirty fight with continuous mauling and repeated fouls; Manny was cut badly over the right eye in the 2nd round by a clash of heads, and later on the left ear; Sanchez was penalized one point in the 3rd round for pushing the laces of his gloves against Manny’s cut, and another point in the 4th for low blows; Sanchez was also cut over his left eye in the 5th; the referee stopped the fight on Manny’s cut at 1:20 of the 6th round and went to the scorecards - 58-54 Pacquiao, 57-55 Sanchez, 56-56; after the fight, trainer Freddie Roach said, “Tremendous miscarriage of boxing justice. Sanchez repeatedly made intentional fouls.”…
WON IBF JF WORLD TITLE – on 6-23-01 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKO’d defending champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba (33-1-1): Manny took the fight on two weeks’ notice and gave an sensational performance - he bloodied Ledwaba’s nose in the 1st round, knocked him down in the 2nd, then rocked him several times in the 3rd and 4th; Manny scored two more knockdowns in the 6th, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 0:59; after the fight, Manny said, “This is a dream come true. My dream was to be champion again. He did not hurt me at all. He did not even hit me hard. I was in control the entire fight.”…
4TH WBC INTERNATIONAL JF DEFENSE – on 4-28-01 in Kidapawan City, PH, he TKO’d Kumanpetch Kiatvoraphong (38-2): it was a wild fight in front of nearly 20,000 fans; Manny was floored by low blows two times in the 4th round, and one time in the 5th, and Kumanpetch was penalized one point; but Manny came back strong in the 6th – he staggered Kumanpetch with a right hand, then rocked him with a series of punches, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:46…
3RD WBC INTERNATIONAL JF DEFENSE –on 2-24-01 in Antipolo, PH, he TKO’d Cholho Kang (19-4-3): Kang, a North Korean based in Japan, is also known as Tetsutora Senrima; Manny stopped him at 1:06 of the 5th round…

2000 – 2ND WBC INTERNATIONAL JF DEFENSE –on 10-14-00 in Manila, PH, he TKO’d previously undefeated British Commonwealth champion Nadel Hussein (19-0): Hussein, born in Lebanon and based in Australia, fought very aggressively; Hussein scored a knockdown in the 4th round, but was also penalized one point; Manny came back in the 5th round and cut Hussein over and under the left eye, and the fight was eventually stopped on the cuts at 1:48 of the 10th; after nine rounds, Manny led by scores of 87-80, 87-83, 87-85; Hussein and his trainer, former three-time world champion Jeff Fenech, protested bitterly that Manny received a long count after his knockdown and that Hussein’s cuts had been ruled from a clash of heads; the crowd threw bottles and coins into the ring and Fenech challenged a heckler to a fight;; after the fight, Manny said, “His punches are really strong. This is my toughest fight so far.”…
1ST WBC INTERNATIONAL JF DEFENSE – on 6-28-00 in Quezon City, PH, he TKO’d previously undefeated Sungkwon Chae (23-0): at 1:42 of the 1st round…

1999 – WON WBC INTERNATIONAL JF TITLE – on 12-18-99 in Manila he TKO’d former Philippines champion and world title challenger Reynante Jamili (41-5): the fight was the main event at the Fiesta Fistiana, the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s annual fund-raiser for retired and disabled boxers; Manny scored three knockdowns, and stopped Jamili in the 2nd round; after the fight, Manny said, “I feel great. I have great trainers who told me to relax and take it slow.”…
LOST WBC FL WORLD TITLE – on 9-17-99 in Thammarat, TH, he was knocked out against Medgoen Lukchaopormasak (19-0): Manny lost the title at the weigh-in when he did not make weight, and Medgoen won the vacant title; Medgoen knocked down Manny in the 3rd round with a body punch, and he was counted out at 1:32…
1ST WBC FL WORLD TITLE DEFENSE – on 4-23-99 in Manila he knocked out Gabriel Mira (19-7-1): 15,000 fans were in attendance at the historic Araneta Coliseum, the site of the “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975; Mira started fast and rocked Manny two times in the 2nd round, but Manny rallied to knock down Mira later in the round; Manny scored another knockdown in the 3rd, and three more in the 4th, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:45…

1998 – WON WBC FL WORLD TITLE – on 12-4-98 in Phuttamonthon, TH, he knocked out defending champion Chatchai Sasakul (33-1): it was a spectacular one-punch knockout; Sasakul dominated the early rounds with his speed, skill, and sharp combination punching, but Manny rocked him in the 4th round; Sasakul recovered quickly and continued to box effectively, but Manny knocked down Sasakul with a single left hand in the 8th round, and he was counted out at 2:54; after seven rounds, Sasakul led by scores of 70-64, 69-64, 68-65…
1997 – 1ST OPBF FL DEFENSE – on 12-6-97 in Koronadal City, PH, he TKO’d Tanompoej Singwangcha: in the 1st round…
WON OPBF FL TITLE – on 6-27-97 in Manila he knocked out Chokchai Chokwiwat: in the 5th round…
He debuted at the age of 16 on 1-22-95...

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Michael Koncz is the manager of Manny’s brother, Bobby, who is also a professional boxer…Michael said, “I’m a good friend of Manny’s. He was born in General Santos City, Phillipines. He has an older sister, Zedra, she’s 28. Manny’s 26, Bobby’s 25. They have another brother, Rogel, he’s 23. Their parents are estranged. Their mother lives close to Manny, he built her a house. The father lives somewhere up in the mountains.
“Manny’s got a number of bodyguards in the Philippines, and one of his best friends and bodyguards is a guy by the name of Ernie who lives in General Santos. Ernie’s 43, he’s former military. He’s like a second father to both Manny and Bobby.
“What they told me is that, up until Manny was around the age of 12, Manny and Bobby lived on their parents’ farm. It was in the mountains, a Filipino vegetable farm. When Manny was 12, he and Bobby went to General Santos and were kind of wandering around, and that’s when they ran into Ernie. Manny went to Manila and was selling cigarettes on the street, Bobby stayed with Ernie. After Manny won the Oriental-Pacific flyweight title at age 18, he told Bobby to come with him to Manila, and that’s when Manny took Bobby to the boxing gym.
“Ernie used to help all the kids over there, provided they were good natured and weren’t involved with drugs. More times than not, there were these young kids eating at his house. When the kids had problems, he would help them. He was still in the military at that point. Even to this day, when people in that area have trouble, they come to Ernie. He’s really well-respected, and I guess you could use the world feared.
“Their younger brother, Rogel, was supposed to be a better boxer than Manny and Bobby, but what happened was, when he was 16 or so, he was riding his motorcyle and got in a serious accident, and they had to put some kind of a steel plate in his head. He wanted to box also, but Manny strictly prohibited him from boxing. Manny basically takes care of him.”…
Manny made the Philippines’ national amateur team, and his room and board were paid for by the federal government…he reportedly had 64 amateur fights (60-4)…he said, “When I was younger, I watched so many videos of Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, George Foreman and others. I used to rent the videos.”…
Manny has starred in popular Filipino action movies with his friend, Mikey Arroyo, the son of the Philippines President…Manny enjoys playing pool in his spare time…
From BoxingConfidential.com, Feb. 5, 2007: Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao and his brother Bobby today went to a school in General Santos City to take a special exam that would allow them to get the equivalent of high school units of educational attainment.
Both Pacquiaos only finished elementary grades, they admit, due to extreme poverty when they were still growing up - a fact they have not forgotten now despite owning million dollar bank accounts from their boxing earnings.
At the Department of Education Testing Center, the fighting brothers took the High School Equivalency Test for six hours, a process Manny called “very, very tiring.”
The brothers were administered exams in English, Filipino, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science.
“He was very determined to pass, just as he is very determined to win in his fights. He had read the questions very religiously, and answered them well,” said a DepEd official when interviewed by the media.
The examinations started at 1:00 PM and ended at 6:30 PM, a process described by Pacquiao as more tiring that his trilogy with Erik Morales. [End boxingconfidential.com item]
Manny and his wife Jinky have three children.