| Title: | WBC Int'l Super Featherweight Champion | |
| Record: | W 44 (35 ko's) | L 3 | D 2 | |
| Age: | 28 | |
| Reach: | 68" | |
| Height: | 5'6"½ | |
| Stance: | Southpaw | |
Manny Pacquiao has fought six other boxers since he last faced Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004, losing only one, against Erik Morales in March 2005. But he had his revenge in January 2006,defeating El Terrible twice in their trilogy of matches.
Just last October 2007, he got another milestone victory in his career, beating challenger Marco Antonio Barrera, whom Marquez had earlier stripped of the World Boxing Council super featherweight title.
Now will Pacquiao be able to snatch the belt from Marquez?
Many of his fans feel that he could. After all, when Pacquiao last faced Marquez, in 2004, he managed to send the Mexican three times down the canvas – and all in the very first round. Never mind that the judges made a controversial decision to declare the match a draw.
In recent interviews, Pacquiao himself repeatedly affirmed his confidence in his sharper skills, especially now that he has been under the most intensive training in his entire career.
But as always, he was careful not to be overconfident, saying: "Mahirap ng magsalita ng tapos."
It was lesson that Pacquiao learned recently, not in the boxing ring but in the political arena, in the 2007 national elections.
He may have knocked out 35 opponents in the boxing ring (not counting Barrera), but he could not necessarily knock out even just one political opponent. It was a lesson that cost him millions of pesos, with Darlene Antonino-Custodio decisively beating him in the General Santos City congressional elections.
But his fans, many of whom had been objecting to his political foray, heaved a sigh of relief: They wanted him pure, untainted by politics. They wanted Pacquiao remain what he has always been – one of the most exciting fighters the world has ever seen.
So he went back to the ring, soundly beating Barrera, the same man he defeated via TKO back in November 2003. The victories have sealed Pacquiao place in the boxing world – and sent Barrera into retirement a disappointed man.
Pacquiao has come a long way since starting his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 pounds at the age of 16. His early fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow evening boxing show.
His first professional fight was a four-round bout against Edmund Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, thus becoming an instant star of the program.
In just a few years, Pacquiao went on to become a three-division champ – featherweight, bantamweight, and flyweight. Hes rated no. 1 by the WBC, no. 3 by the IBF, and no. 1 by the WBO.
In Mexico, Pacquiao is known as "Republica Enemy No.1" and "verdugo de mexicanos" because he has beaten up some of the best Mexican fighters since 2003 - Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Oscar Larios, Emanuel Lucero, and Hector Velazquez.
After beating Barrera in 2003, he managed to get a drawn match against Juan Manuel Marquez in 2004. Many Pacquiao fans considered the decision questionable because Pacquiao sent Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round.
Pacquiao, born in Bukidnon but raised in General Santos City, was named
2006 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
He got the same honor from The Ring magazine for his two spectacular knockout victories of Mexican icon and three-division champion Erik Morales and his round unanimous 12-round decision over former world champion and current No. 1 contender Oscar Larios.
Since 1928, when the award was first given, The Ring has honored only six other fighters below the lightweight division - Henry Armstrong (1937), Willie Pep (1945), Carlos Zarate (1977), Salvador Sanchez (1981), Michael Carbajal (1993), Paulie Ayala (1999). - GMANews.TV
