Manny Pacquiao: The Road to the Fight of the Century (part 3)

After rematches against Manuel Marquez and Erik Morales, Pac-man moves on.

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao is from the Philippines and is the only eight-division world champion. Well known to US gambling news, Pacquiao won 10 world titles and was the first to be lineal champion in four different weight classes. Growing up in poverty, Pacquiao left his family and took off on a boat headed to Manila. On the streets, Pacquiao struggled to survive while training to be a boxer.

• Pacquiao beat six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya before he retired.

• The Pacquiao Mayweater bout was originally slated for March 13th, 2010,
• Manuel Marquez finally defeated Pacquiao after a 4th attempt.

After winning his first featherweight title, Pacquiao met Freddie Roach who wanted to train him. The two went to Las Vegas where Pacquiao would win his first title on American soil. As his career went forward he was able to win eight divisions. Soon, Pacquiao will be a participant in what many consider the greatest fight in the history of the sport.

Pacquiao in the ring as a lightweight.

By the time Pacquiao set his sights on the lightweight division, he took a high school equivalency exam. He then enrolled at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University in his hometown of General Santos City. There, Pacquiao studied business management.
At the Mandalay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas in 2008, Pacquiao won a bout against David Diaz and won the WBC Lightweight title making him a 5-division champion.

Pacquiao decided to vacate his super featherweight title that year. Soon he would move up to the welterweight division. Pacquiao’s next challenged was in six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank. Many critics thought that Pacquiao couldn’t sustain himself in against a naturally heavier De La Hoya. The reverse happened and De La Hoya couldn’t beat Pacquiao 20 pound lighter.

To the bane of many users of online sportsbooks in the US, Pacquiao won the bout by technical knockout. De La Hoya soon announced his retirement and Pacquiao received millions plus the Philippine Legion of Honor award ranking him an officer for bringing honor and pride to his country as an army reservist. In his first light welterweight division, Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton making him a six-division world champion.

Pacquiao’s second round knockout of Hatton made him first man in boxing history to win lineal titles in four different weight divisions. Pacquiao’s next victim would be Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Vegas. The fight called “Firepower” was dominated by Pacquiao and earned him the WBO Welterweight title and recognition as the first seven-division world champion.

Negotiations with Floyd Mayweather begin

There was an increasing public demand for Pacquaio to fight undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. The bout, originally slated for March 13th, 2010, was soon derailed amidst the negations. The Mayweather camp’s need for random blood testing by U.S Anti-Doping Agency let to lawsuit by Pacquiao’s camp for defamation of character. Pacquiao fought Joshua Clottey and retained his welterweight title.

Pacquiao fought Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC Light Middleweight title. Pacquiao would win by unanimous decision and became the first eight-division title holder. Margarito suffered a facial bone fracture and underwent surgery. The next year Pacquiao defended his WBO Welterweight title against the contender Sugar Shane Mosley. Pacquiao won the fight by split decision.

After defeated Marquez in a third rematch, Pacquiao took on Timothy Bradley after further dissolved negotiations with Mayweather. Although he was given a WBO Diamond Ring for being the best pound-for-pound fighter of the decade, Pacquiao lost to Bradley by split decision. In a fourth bout with Marquez, the fighter finally bested Pacquiao with a sixth-round knockout. Pacquiao left boxing for almost a year.

According to Chinese gambling news, Pacquiao fought and won his first match in China against Brandon Rios. Soon Pacquiao defeated Bradley in a rematch. Pacquiao’s last bout was against WBO Lightweight champion Chris Algieri which resulted in six knockdowns and a unanimous victory. In the next six months, the “Fight of the Century” bout was set to become a reality on May 2nd, 2015.