5 times Manny Pacquiao put his fighting heart on full display
Manny Pacquiao, over the course of his storied career, has managed to fight his way to the top of the food chain. Having made his professional debut at the age of 16, 'Pac-Man' has been a mainstay in the pugilistic circle since 1995.
In addition to 72 professional bouts over the course of his career, Manny Pacquiao has etched his name in boxing folklore. He became the first boxer to win championship titles across eight divisions. In addition, he has held 12 major world titles over the course of his career.
Furthermore, Manny Pacquiao's triumph against Keith Thurman back in 2019 earned him recognition as the oldest fighter to have held the welterweight title. However, he was stripped of the belt due to inactivity in 2021.
#OnThisDay - In 2019, Manny Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman by SD12 to win the WBA welterweight title. https://t.co/Xsz6j8uGpD
The legendary welterweight recently hung his gloves up for good in a bid to focus on his political career. Manny Pacquiao initially decided to test political waters with a failed congressional run back in 2007 as a candidate for the Liberal Party.
Pacquiao has since split his time between being a pro-boxer and a politician. However, he now feels that it is time to draw the curtains on his career in combat sports and focus on politics completely. Pacquiao has grand plans to run for the presidency in the 2022 elections in the Philippines.
His upcoming presidential run will most certainly be the toughest fight of his political career. However, in this article we will take a look at the toughest fights that Manny Pacquiao participated in over the course of his career inside the squared circle.
#5. Manny Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya
Admittedly, the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya was incredibly one-sided. However, Pacquiao performed incredibly after moving up two weight classes to butt heads with a much bigger fighter. That warrants the fight's position on this list.
Pitted against each other back in 2008, the fight between Pacquiao and De La Hoya was billed as 'The Dream Match' between two of the most highly regarded fighters.
⏪REWIND: When Pac-Man stunned De La Hoya😲
Back in 2008 Manny Pacquiao became a boxing superstar when he forced Oscar De La Hoya to retire after eight rounds🥊✨ https://t.co/fBb8rkgUvS
It is often viewed as the fight that brought Oscar De La Hoya's career to an end. This fight marked the time when The Golden Boy' passed the proverbial torch to the next generation of fighters. After a constant onslaught that lasted eight rounds, the fight was brought to an end after De La Hoya's corner intervened as an act of mercy.