Manny Pacquiao has fought the best boxing has to offer and lost to some of America’s great champions.
Pacquiao reaffirmed why he is one of the most recognisable names in boxing when he drew a huge crowd for his majority decision draw against Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title.
He could not, unfortunately, add to his best welterweight wins, but it does seem the ‘PacMan’ is going to continue his last run in the sport at 46 years old.
This new run in the division will bring back memories for fans of a certain vintage who saw him announce himself as a problem for the weight class with his finest twelfth-round stoppage over Miguel Cotto to become WBO champion.
Three defences of his WBO crown led ‘Pac’ to a tough test against a former super lightweight champion who dethroned him.
I was nervous before beating Manny Pacquiao, his punches sounded like ‘bullets’, claimed a former champion in 2019
Timothy Bradley Jr, who blasted the controversial Barrios draw, was already a success on the world stage, unifying two super lightweight championships before moving up a weight class to fight the Filipino.
But while he may have had the biggest win of his career to date, he admitted in a 2019 interview that nerves had affected him throughout the build-up.
When he spoke to Fair Game about the 2012 clash, ‘Desert Storm’ said: “It was nerve-racking, it was like I was fighting King Kong. The hype around the fight was enormous. I’m not going to lie, I was scared out of my mind.
“It was so much emotion going into the fight, I had my goal in mind, but at the same time, I was like, how hard does he punch? How fast is it? You see it on film, but it’s different when you’re in there actually fighting them.”
The first in a three-fight series saw Bradley Jr gut it out with the eight-division legend, as he tried to duck and dive away from the quick hands of the supersonic southpaw.
This would be his only victory in their trilogy, as the Californian snatched a split decision win on the scorecards.
On the experience, he continued: “I felt like crying, it was so much pressure riding on me.
“They were like bullets. Manny Pacquiao, when he would throw everything, was just all stiff punches.
“Quick feet, his hand-eye coordination was ridiculous, and when he would miss, I would hear like a snap like bullets flying past my head. But I felt like I belonged.”
In his 37 fights as a professional, his only two losses came to the man he had beaten in his 2012 crowning moment, which is an achievement in itself.
Manny Pacquiao rewarded with new WBC ranking after Mario Barrios draw
As the career of Pacquiao draws to a close, there has been an update on where the former welterweight champion will be heading next.
His draw with ‘El Azteca’ has now earned him the number one spot in the WBC rankings, allowing him another shot at the title.
There was controversy previously with the icon receiving the 14th spot before his comeback fight after years of inactivity.
Rumours have begun to circulate of a potential December return, but no discussions have reportedly taken place yet, with a second fight with Barrios the most likely outcome.