- The year 2021 has been filled with must-see moments in the sport.
- Both fighters were experienced knockout artists when they fought at featherweight.
- Pacquiao’s featherweight division dominance did not come easily.
- The fight was a snoozer, but Pac-Man and Money both laughed all the way to the bank.
Boxing has entered the public conversation more than once or twice a year for the first time in a long time. The year 2021 has been filled with must-see moments in the sport, including an instant classic bout between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, a testy press conference between Caleb Plant and Canelo Alvarez that included punches thrown, and the Paul brothers’ circus act involving Floyd Mayweather and Tyron Woodley.
Last month’s retirement of Manny Pacquiao, certainly one of the sport’s most renowned competitors, got lost in the shuffle.
He set record after record, both in the ring as the only eight-division champion and out of it, lighting up box-office figures and bet tallies on the finest sports betting apps.
Pacquiao’s career is almost unbelievable. We wanted to recap his most memorable moments in case you missed what he did in more than 20 years in the ring:
Pac-Man’s career was given the jet pack treatment around this time.
Both fighters were experienced knockout artists when they fought at featherweight.
That was evident in this fight of a clash.
In round one, Barerra knocked Pacquiao to the ground, but Manny quickly recovered.
He dominated from there on out, eventually stopping Barerra in the 11th round (Barerra’s corner threw up the towel).
Pacquiao’s victory effectively established him as the finest 126-pound fighter in the world.
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Erik Morales (The Rematch) – 21st of January, 2006
Pacquiao’s featherweight division dominance did not come easily.
To stay on top, he had to repel one Mexican warrior after another: first Barerra, then Juan Manuel Marquez, and then Erik Morales.
Pacquiao was defeated by Morales in the first round by unanimous decision.
It was Manny’s third career loss at the moment, but he would avenge it and then some.
Ten months later, the two squared up, and the outcome was drastically different.
Pacquiao would knock Morales out in the tenth round, the first time Morales has been stopped.
The outcome of a third match to settle the score the same year was even more lopsided.
Pacquiao knocked Morales out three times in the third round to secure the victory.
Pac-Man’s victory raised his goals even higher than featherweight gold.
Oscar De La Hoya — 6th of December, 2008
Make no mistake about it, this was Pacquiao’s debut.
De La Hoya, you know, was in an entirely another league in terms of mass popularity.
This fight, which would be De La Hoya’s final, would put Pacquiao in a spotlight, unlike anything he’d seen before.
Manny rose to the situation, defeating De La Hoya from start to finish.
Despite fighting at welterweight, Pacquiao dominated his opponent with a barrage of assault, causing De La Hoya to call it a day after eight lopsided rounds.
Pacquiao became a household name outside of boxing fans at this very time.
Floyd Mayweather – Tuesday, May 2, 2015
Following his victory over De La Hoya, fans began calling for a rematch with the sport’s pound-for-pound king, Floyd “Money” Mayweather.
Fans and pundits would have to wait over six years for it to materialize, and regrettably, for us all, it fell short of expectations. It’s not even close.
Pacquiao was defeated by Mayweather in a unanimous decision despite fighting with a bad shoulder (and being slightly past his prime).
The fight was a snoozer, but Pac-Man and Money both laughed all the way to the bank.
The battle shattered box office records in terms of the live gate and pay-per-view purchases, setting numbers that will be difficult to break for years to come.
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Keith Thurman – 20th of July, 2019
Manny Pacquiao had an incredible performance against a fighter ten years his junior and previously unblemished in what would be his final of 62 career victories.
Pac-Man won by split decision, becoming the sport’s oldest world champion at 40 years old.
Pacquiao never held back in his career, which lasted from 1995 to 2021.
He battled the finest in the world, continually moved up weight classes, and was never bored inside the ring.
Without a doubt, he is an all-time great who needs to be recognized.
