Manny Pacquiao Being Manny Pacquiao
By wchung | 22 Feb, 2025

Manny Pacquiao is the full package - his success can't be contained in the ring.

I’ve recently become interested in boxing. I know, a timely interest considering the depth and height of the bandwagon that holds all of the Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao fan base. There’s little to be said about all that Manny has accomplished. He is one of the most prolific fighters that I’ve ever seen and the fact that he’s Filipino only adds to the legendary career he’s already carved out for himself.

To think, he’s only just brushed his prime. Some have said that he’s topped out and he can’t go much further, but look at what he’s already accomplished. He’s the ultimate Cinderella story. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a major motion picture about him yet. Maybe it’ll come out when he’s old and washed up, or maybe they just can’t find a physical specimen that can even act on the level that Manny regularly fights in.

He came from nothing. Forced out of his home to work at an early age due to circumstances, Manny found himself fighting to survive before his time. He was drawn to boxing and started fighting at an early age in scrappy matches in Manila. Starting at the Light Flyweight class (106 lbs), he literally fought for his life in the beginning of his career and he found great success. It was only after a close friend of his died that he decided to turn professional.

Since then, he’s taken the boxing world by storm. Heralded as the best fighter now, pound for pound, he’s the world’s first and only septuple world champion, conquering seven weight classes at a world level, including the welterweight title he won this past Saturday against Cotto. He’s found unlikely success and he hasn’t been selfish with his winnings. He understands the depth of the poverty he came from and he’s literally changed the economy there by investing the money he’s won into business and entrepreneurship. His aspirations don’t lie solely in the ring, even though he’s proven his worth many times over. He has political aspirations after his boxing career comes to an end.

I love watching him because he’s the complete package. He’s a good guy, consistently conscious of how he can prevent the circumstances that forced him to boxing in the first place. He’s a deeply religious and spiritual individual, realizing that there’s more to life than the boxing ring he so thrives in. And when he’s in the ring, there’s no one more dominant.