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Manny Pacquiao biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Manny Pacquiao
  • OCCUPATION: Boxer, Political Leader
  • BIRTH DATE: December 17, 1978 (Age: 34)
  • Full Name: Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao
  • AKA: Manny Pacquiao
  • Nickname: Ang Pambansang Kamao
  • Nickname: Pac-Man
  • ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius

Best Known For

Manny Pacquiao has won world boxing titles in eight different weight divisions, and is considered one of the world's best boxers.


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Synopsis

Born on December 17, 1978, Manny Pacquiao began professionally boxing at the age of 16, in a bout against Edmund Ignacio. Pacquiao beat Ignacio in four rounds. He went on to win a 1998 bout against Thailand's Chatchai Sasakul, and was named victorious against American boxer Oscar De La Hoya and England's Ricky Hatton in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Pacquiao has been deemed one of the world's finest boxers,

receiving the title of "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, among various other honors.

Early Life

Filipino world boxing champion Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978, to parents Dionesia Dapidran-Pacquiao and Rosalio Pacquiao. He was raised in Kibawe, which is located in the Bukidnon province of Mindanao, Philippines.

When he was a teenager, Pacquiao left his family and boarded a ship to Manila, Philippines, in hopes of training as a boxer and launching a career in the sport. Not long after, in January of 1995, his goals gained some traction; at age 16, he stepped into the ring for his first professional bout, against Edmund Ignacio. Pacquiao won the fight in four rounds, in a unanimous decision. The victory propeled him into a successful boxing run that would encompass the better part of two decades.

Boxing Career

In December 1998, Pacquiao won a bout against Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand, taking the World Boxing Council flyweight title—his first major honor. In 2001, he moved into a larger weight division, and beat Lehlo Ledwaba for the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight title, in his first U.S. fight. Pacquiao won the fight with a knockout after six rounds. He went on to win several bouts in the years thereafter, claiming world titles in eight different weight divisions.

Ten years after his win against Sasakul, in December 2008, Pacquiao was named victor of an eight-round, nontitle welterweight bout against famed American boxer Oscar De La Hoya. The fight generated nearly $70 million from viewers of pay-per-view—the broadcasting format for most of Pacquiao's fights since the early 2000s.

Pacquiao went on to fight United Kingdom boxing star Ricky Hatton in May 2009, in a light welterweight division bout in Las Vegas. Pacquiao won the fight by a knockout in the second round, taking The Ring's junior welterweight championship. Later that year, in November, he beat Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto in a 12-round bout, for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title—an honor he defended in 2010, when he outlasted Ghanaian boxer Joshua Clottey in a 12-round fight.

On June 9, 2012, Pacquiao lost a 12-round bout with American boxer Timothy Bradley, in a 115-113 decision by three judges. The fight was an incredible upset for boxing fans, as Pacquiao had won 7 rounds to Bradley's five. The fight, broadcast on pay-per-view, was watched by thousands of fans worldwide. The judges' decision spurred wide wide speculation, as both critics and fans argued that Pacquiao should have been named the victor.

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