Manny Pacquiao and his amazing ride to boxing greatness

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Manny Pacquiao and his amazing ride to boxing greatness

Written by Jojo Iglesia

In boxing, the monicker “The Greatest” has been identified and associated with former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali.

(Video from youtube.com; posted by daryn2004 12.12.07)

"Deservingly so, and no contest!" as many will say, even as Ali’s boxing days have long been over. One may counter that definitive accolades are best reserved only when a fighter is no longer active in the ring. However, the string of impressive victories by Manny Pacquiao may lay the foundation for a legitimate claim to greatness. On May 2011, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao defeated Shane Mosley in successfully defending his WBO world welterweight crown and on November 2011, Pacquiao won over Mexico's Juan Manuel "Dinamita" Marquez via majority decision to retain the same title.

On November 14, 2009, Manny Pacquiao made boxing history by being the first boxer to win titles in 7 weight divisions as he beat Miguel Cotto for the latter's WBO welterweight belt via a 12-round TKO at Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao then successfully defended his welterweight crown via a unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey of Ghana at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on March 13, 2010. On November 13, 2010, Manny Pacquiao added his 8th world title by dominating a much heavier Antonio Margarito of Mexico for the vacant WBC super welterweight crown.

Due to the growing popularity and stature of PacMan, a strong demand for boxing tickets for any of Pacquiao's fights is anticipated. Over the last several years, Manny Pacquiao has had a "roller-coaster" battle (with overall favorable outcomes to date) with some of Mexico’s boxing champions such as Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio (“Baby-faced Assassin”) Barrera, and Erik (“El Terrible”) Morales. Here is a snapshot of some of his earlier fights.

•    Pacquiao-Barrera I: Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round (November 2003, San Antonio TX)
•    Pacquiao-Marquez I: Pacquiao and Marquez settled for a majority draw (May 2004, Las Vegas NV)
•    Pacquiao-Morales I: Morales defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision (March 2005, Las Vegas NV)
•    Pacquiao-Morales II: Pacquiao avenged his earlier defeat to Morales via a 10th round TKO (January 2006, Las Vegas NV)
•    Pacquiao-Morales III: Pacquiao again won over Morales via a 3rd round TKO (November 2006, Las Vegas NV)
•    Pacquiao-Barrera II: Pacquiao beat Barrera via unanimous decision (October 2007, Las Vegas NV)

Manny Pacquiao beat Marquez via a 12-round split decision on March 2008, wresting the WBC superfeatherweight crown and also defeated David "Dangerous" Diaz, a former US Olympian, on June 2008 for the WBC lightweight title, with both fights held in the entertainment capital that is Las Vegas. On December 2008, Manny Pacquiao upset Oscar de la Hoya, boxing's Golden Boy. On May 2009, Manny showed why he is boxing's current pound for pound champion when he knocked out (2nd round) International Boxing Organization junior welterweight champ Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The amazing ride of Manny Pacquiao to boxing greatness has all the trappings of showbiz lore. The story of Manny Pacquiao can be likened to that of a hero who overcomes humble beginnings and early hardships on the way to the top, and extends his forays, aside from his boxing career, into politics, business, and even acting and singing. And undeniably, there is that special bond of friendship and respect between Pacman and his trainer, Freddie Roach, playing an integral role in Manny's amazing ride to boxing greatness.

On the topic of greatness in general, Robert Kennedy once said: “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” Not everyone can be exactly like a Manny Pacquiao, a Tiger Woods, a Michael Jordan, a Kobe Bryant, a Michael Phelps, a LeBron James, a Roger Federer, a Sonny Jaworski, or some other famous person. But each individual will always be the captain of his or her own ship. Given that the best ship captains are determined on how well they handle a storm, greatness should not be far-fetched or unreachable at all, especially if measured according to your own terms or standard.