STEVE’S SOAPBOX By Steve Kim
because of the presence of Pacquiao), throngs would gather on a daily basis just to catch a glimpse of their idol as he drove to and from the parking lot of the strip mall that was attached to Freddie Roach’s gym on Vine Street. Pacquiao’s popularity extended well beyond his own people. He was the rare boxer in modern pop culture who broke through to the mainstream, truly an international star who became a household name in America. Nike had its own line of Pacquiao apparel, same as it had for Kobe Bryant. While he was already a world champion by 1998 (after he stopped Chatchai Sasakul for the WBC flyweight title), Pacquiao burst into the consciousness of stateside fans when he was placed on the pay- per-view undercard of Oscar De La Hoya’s bout against Javier Castillejo in June of 2001. He was placed opposite the highly regarded IBF junior featherweight titlist, Lehlo Ledwaba. In what was an eye-opening performance, Pacquiao blitzed Ledwaba in six rounds. It was more than just winning a title; Pacquiao stole the show on this night at the MGM Grand when fans had really come to see “The Golden Boy.” It was clear that Pacquiao was a player. But he wasn’t quite yet a star. What’s oftentimes forgotten is that his next several bouts came on undercards (supporting the likes of Fernando Vargas or future nemesis Floyd Mayweather Jr., or in a slot on the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson bill in Memphis) and stay-busy bouts back home in the Philippines. Pacquiao was biding his time for the next big opportunity. Where he clearly stamped himself as an elite fighter was his dominance of Marco Antonio Barrera in November of 2003. Coming into this contest, Barrera was considered to be among the top three or four boxers in the world, pound-for-pound. But on this night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, he was no match for the Filipino whirlwind. Barrera was stopped in 11 one-sided rounds, conceding his Ring
Magazine featherweight championship to Pacquiao. This would be the first encounter in Pacquiao’s rivalries with the Mexican trio of Barrera, Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez, all three of whom are Hall of Famers. Just think about this: We are now in an era of boxing where there are very few real rivalries and even fewer multi-fight duels between elite fighters. Pacquiao engaged in three of them during his prime. Among that quartet, he was the only one who faced all the others. During a series of contests that spanned from 2003 to 2012, Pacquiao earned the moniker of “Mexicutioner” as he compiled a 6-2-1 overall mark against his three nemeses. It has to be noted that the last bout of this memorable period saw Pacquiao get knocked out cold, face-first, in his fourth and final clash with Marquez. While those chapters are a central part of the Pacquiao story, “Pacmania” truly exploded after his clash with the man whose undercard he’d so memorably lit up years before. In 2008, coming off a victory over David Diaz for the WBC lightweight belt, Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum rolled the dice in moving up two weight classes to face the much bigger De La Hoya. When this bout – which really was the brainchild of venerable HBO broadcaster Larry Merchant – was announced, many lampooned the idea, calling it a physical mismatch. Which is exactly what it turned out to be. A weight-drained De La Hoya was simply overwhelmed by the speed and angles of Pacquiao, who struck him at will. The defeated Olympian retired on his stool (and subsequently from his career) after eight rounds. After this, covering Pacquiao was like covering a rock star. You were no longer just covering a boxer or athlete. I recall vividly during my days at MaxBoxing that Brian Harty (then our videographer) and I would get access to one day of Pacquiao’s private training at Wild Card. He would customarily arrive about an hour or so late, and then he’d put on two hours of the most
frenetic workout you will ever see. We understood that we were watching a generational talent ply his trade. The interviews with Manny afterward were pretty vanilla, but any Pacquiao content was gold for us. He basically created an economy for a whole generation of boxing media – and eventually any content creator. Boxing scribes of the past had Muhammad Ali and Deer Lake. Well, I had Pacquiao and Wild Card. Make no mistake about it: Pacquiao’s run from 2008 to 2012 (which also included the likes of Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto on his ledger) was legendary, and a special time for boxing. Ask any fans about this period, and they will have specific memories that they will never forget. Chances are we’ll never see a run like that ever again from any fighter. After his knockout loss at the hands of Marquez, Pacquiao was able to rebound and string together some victories against recognizable names. But what still lingered was the unfinished business against Mayweather. They had been circling one another for about five years, and the inability to consummate this bout was to many observers symbolic of the ills of the boxing business. They finally met in 2015 for what was a rather anticlimactic affair; Mayweather won a 12-round decision. Truth be told, this wasn’t one of Manny’s shining moments. His popularity was never quite the same after the loss. To his credit, Pacquiao moved forward and notched a series of solid wins, and he showed he had one last great effort in him as he upset Keith Thurman, who is a full decade younger than Pacquiao, in 2019 for the WBA welterweight title. Two years later, Pacquiao lost to Ugas, and a couple of months after that, he announced his retirement from the ring. There is speculation that the 45-year-old Pacquiao may return to the ring. Personally, I hope not. He’s already given us more than enough memories.
For a Boxing Writer, Living in Los Angeles During the Early 2000s Provided a Front-Row Seat to the Rise of a Living Legend I t was no surprise when it was announced that Manny Pacquiao was part of the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame class. If there
Pacquiao’s unparalleled boxing accomplishments earned the Filipino phenom worldwide fame.
sport of boxing and the Philippines. Imagine being the Babe Ruth and Michael Jordan of your country. It may seem like hyperbole, but Pacquiao truly meant that much to his country. His fights were not just sporting events, but in many ways a national holiday where Filipinos across the world gathered to watch their hero. Pacquiao fought not just for himself, but for millions of his countrymen. It was reported that when he fought, the crime rate would be zero on those days. I saw firsthand the fervor and maniacal loyalty that he engendered in his people. During his training camps at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles (which became a tourist spot largely
Ignacio in the Philippines as a junior flyweight. It ended on August 21, 2021, as he lost a WBA welterweight title bout to Yordenis Ugas in Las Vegas. His record is 62-8-2 (39 KOs) in a career that saw him hold a world title in four separate decades. It’s an incomprehensible feat, which speaks not just to his talent but his sustained greatness as a prizefighter. But this alone doesn’t speak to the magnitude of Pacquiao and what he meant to the
were ever anyone who was a no-brainer this year, it was “Pac-Man.” Chances are he was a unanimous selection, and anyone who didn’t put a check mark next to his name should have their voting privileges revoked. It was a career that began on January 22, 1995, as Pacquiao stopped Edmund
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