Manny Pacquiao - The Greatest Boxer of All Time 6

If Floyd Mayweather fights to win, Manny Pacquiao fights-in his own words-"to make the fans happy."

Pacquiao knows what he is talking about and people understand where he is coming from. When he was too young to make a decent living for himself and his family, life was so hard that controlling body weight was forced not by boxing rules but by lack of food to eat. "I understand," he said, "how it feels when people go hungry."

Every Philippine centavo was gold to the Pacquiao household. Which was why affluence became Manny Pacquiao when he earned his first paychecks of a hundred pesos (about 2 US dollars) fighting as a youngster in village-level fiestas. This is how relative reality is and that was how he valued hard-earned money. That was then. Today, he has earned more than a billion of Philippine pesos from boxing and commercial appearances, but his appreciation of each hard-earned peso remains the same.

He knows boxing fans spend equally good hard-earned money to watch his fights. He swears it's his job, as a professional fighter, to ensure they get their money's worth every time they see him perform.

When people watch Pacquiao fight, they see an incredible small-sized package of ferocity and aggression let loose inside the ring. What they may not see is what burns at the core of that package, the one that fuels such a huge amount of energy and passion-courage.

It takes courage to be able to continually honor one's commitment. It takes courage to make the fans happy and keep them from being disappointed.

And courage-the heart of a warrior-is what makes Pacquiao the world's greatest fighter that he has become. Courage allowed him to challenge what lurked behind the unknown: whether it was, in search of his future in boxing, a strange life in the city where he knew no one and no one knew him; how a fight wish would play out against, for example, one of then boxing's hottest properties in Marco Antonio Barrera; coping with size disadvantage as in the case of fighting Oscar De La Hoya; the impossibility of moving up in weight and continuing to dominate the opposition; and try to see what it takes to test the limits of a world-class athlete, like himself.

Early in life Pacquiao knew he would become a boxing champion. The problem was, given the limited choices which his poor family had, he did not have ready resources to get there.

So he took odd jobs to keep body and soul together, as it were, while his dream of making it big in boxing someday continued to consume his waking hours. He left grade school to focus on making a living, and on dreaming his dream.

But the hardships of life remained unforgiving to the Pacquiao household. They came in many forms, in addition to material want. The father, who left earlier to take a better-paying job, eventually left for good. The second of 6 siblings, Manny was, in the normal ways of a Filipino family set-up, had to rise up and take the survival cudgels for the family. "Don't worry, Ma," the 15-year-old Manny vowed to his mother, "I will take care of this." He was referring to the financial and emotional problems of the family.

He soon left General Santos City, his hometown, for Manila, the big city, with nobody at home aware of it. He left a note, however, explaining his departure.

Several months later, Dionisia, Manny's mother, received by post a letter from Manny excitedly telling her to watch him fight on national television. It was January in 1996 and, from then on, Dionisia and the entire Filipino nation found itself glued to television whenever Manny stepped inside the ring to fight.

It turned out Pacquiao was not only a performer; he was also a winner. From the time he turned professional at 16 to the present (he will turn 31 in December 17, 2009), he has already won world titles in 6 different weight divisions. Only two fighters in all of boxing history (the other one being De La Hoya), has reached that height of achievement.

By 2008, after beating the highly-favored De La Hoya, Pacquiao has blossomed to become a global celebrity. Acclaimed in 2009 by Times Magazine as one of the world's most influential persons, Pacquiao is also one of the world's richest athlete.

Fifteen years after he left General Santos to find his star in the boxing universe, he has returned as a hero. He kept his promise and made his mother proud.

Excerpts from "Manny Pacquiao - The Greatest Boxer Of All Time"

Read more of it at http://pacquiaodgoat.ws

Hermilando "Ingming" Duque Aberia is a social development worker by training and profession. He has worked for close to 23 years for government and non-government agencies in the Philippines. He has a master's degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management.

Writing for him is both a hobby and a drain for emotional overflow. He writes on various subjects and has published some of his works in Philippine newspapers.

He has also dabbled in online advocacy and home-based marketing. He maintains a website at http://pacquiaodgoat.ws

Emails can be sent to: pacquiadgoat@gmail.com

Manny Pacquiao - The Best Boxing Champion and Legend of His Generation

On December 17, 1978 in Philippines, a child took birth in a small middle class family and his parents named him Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao. Little did they know that this child would go on to become nothing short of a legend of his times. The ones who follow the world of boxing closely, they would have guessed it by now who am I talking about. For the uninitiated, I am talking about Manny Pacquiao, the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions.

It is not without reason that Manny Pacquaiao has been voted by Ring magazine as the number 1 pound for pound boxer in the world. He is currently the WBO world welterweight champion and also Ring magazine light welterweight champion. Apart from winning in almost every category he has ever taken part in, Manny Pacquiao is also the only boxer in the world to have the Lineal championship or "man who beat the man championship" in four different weight classes. Truly a champion, isn't he?

But that is not where his genius ends. He is a man with many abilities. Manny Pacquiao has been actively pursuing his interests in fields as diverse as singing, acting and politics (acting and politics are not as diverse though). Although he hasn't been half as successful in any of these fields as he has been in boxing.

Manny Pacquiao or the Mexicutioner as he is otherwise popularly called has vowed to enter politics after he retires from the sport of boxing. He has already made a brief foray into the world of politics but was unsuccessful, when his bid for the congressional seat for Philippines was rejected. And part of the reason for this defeat was his very own fans who did not want their hero to get into the dirty world of politics.

This thirty year old boxer is married to Jenkee and resides in a royal mansion in General Santos City which is protected by armed guards 2487. This legend, who used to sell ice water and donuts to etch out a living, hasn't looked back ever since he won his first boxing title. And it was a life turning event which made him pursue boxing as a passion- the death of his close friend mark Penaflorida.

As much as his hard work and dedication has helped him reach where he is today, destiny has also played a huge role in making him a true living legend. In June 23, 2001, he came in as a late replacement for his country in super bantamweight category and then won the match by a technical default. Manny Pacquiao hasn't stopped winning ever since.

Such is his popularity that a film was made based on his life called Pacquiao: the movie.

Although the film tanked, Pacquiao has been actively pursuing a career in acting and has been signed on to feature in the boxing themed drama series Totoy Bato on a Filipino television network. This "People's Champion" sure deserves a place among the greats of all times like Mohammad Ali. May the world get to see this hero in action for as long as possible.

Frank D. P. is a long time and big fan of Manny Pacquiao. You can find more about the latest news and blog about Manny Pacquiao at Manny Pacquiao Fans Blog

Manny Pacquiao - The People's Champion

Manny Pacquiao was born Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao on December 17, 1978 in the impoverished neighborhood of Kibawe, Bukidnon in Mindanao, The Philippines. Before all the glory and riches were ever bestowed upon the star boxer, this ambitious young man who would one day become the Philippines's most iconic figure was simply a young boy looking to survive the streets that brought him into this world. As a young boy, Pacquiao was already learning how to fight for his life, not in the ring but in the streets. His early childhood was not about winning boxing matches, becoming a world champion, or rising to become the Philippines most endearing and beloved iconic figure. He simply wanted to find food to feed himself and his family. Humbled by poverty, he always held a tight bond with his family and his devotion to God as a Roman Catholic to help him survive through the early years of hardship and hunger. Rising from humble beginnings, Manny used to sell a Filipino bread name pandesal in street corners to help his family survive starvation.

His mother Dionisia raised Manny, after his father left them along with 5 other children, and two of them were from his mother's previous marriage. A man with a big heart originally wanted to become a priest, but his mother could not afford the education so he soon found boxing as the only alternative to make his family proud. Long hungry nights never stopped Him from pursuing his dream of becoming a masterful boxer so he can one day have all the money to help his family and the poor citizens from his town.

Today, Pacquiao can simply not stop giving back to the very people and the town that fed him and supported him through the many years of hardship. Despite the many cars, 12,000 square foot mansion, and fan fare at every corner, he has been able to simply be a regular individual like all his adoring fans. This past Thanksgiving in the USA, the celebrity boxer gave away 500 turkeys to feed the homeless and the poor. He also gave away $550,000 in fight ticket prices so all his Filipino childhood friends can see him live for his December, 6 fight with Oscar De la Hoya. Manny Pacquiao simply feels blessed to be able to give back and nothing can possibly make him more genuinely happy than to give to those who reminds himself of his own roots and early suffering in life. When recently asked by a reporter why he was so overly generous to his countrymen and countrywomen, Pacquiao replied and said, "You know what? Our mission in this world - because I believe our mission in this world is not only to make money but we have a big responsibility. If you get the blessing from God, we are to give some of to your people and especially the poor people." There is nothing further from the truth to describe Manny Pacquiao than a man that is simply, 'The People's People'.

Manny Pacquiao Boxing Fansite: The pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao continues to pour in the accolades for himself and his country.

Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach

Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach have developed one of the most dynamic trainer and fighter combinations since Joe E. Martin Sr. and Muhammad Ali. Freddie Roach has trained some of the greatest names in boxing such as Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins, and the former pupil he recently defeated, Oscar De La Hoya. Roach will tell you however, that his star pupil would be none other than Pacquiao himself. Manny has even gone as far as calling Freddie Roach, "a gift sent from heaven". Freddie Roach on numerous occasions has reciprocated by saying "Manny Pacquiao is like a son to me."

The relationship between Roach and Pacman has developed through the years into an unbreakable trust where each individual need each other in order to win. Manny Pacquiao's victory over Oscar De La Hoya was equally as important to Freddie Roach. After Manny defeated De La Hoya, Roach basked in the celebration with as much elation as Pacquiao. Roach's prized student has just won the most important fight of his career and it was Roach who orchestrated the master strategy that clearly dominated the fight. Roach would later say that, "This is the biggest win in my life" and this is from a trainer who has trained three other great champions. Roach, who has Parkinson Disease prefers to be in his Wild Card Gym as much as possible but recently flew to the Philippines to celebrate Pacquiao's's 30th birthday and flew back home to Los Angeles the next day.

These two have also had their share of disagreements as naturally a father and son would have with one another. In 2004, Roach threatened to quit the Pacquiao team after Roach refused to work with promoter Murad Muhammad any longer. In 2006, Roach vehemently disagreed with Manny when Pacquiao spurned a better promotional deal with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Production to remain in the clutches of Bob Arum's Top Rank promotional company. Bob Arum has not always had the blessing of an honest promoter from the public's point of view, but he has always delivered the big fights that the fans want to see. The star boxer essentially made the decision based on Arum's ability to put together the fights that will escalate his career and in return Pacquiao has not disappointed the fans with his electrifying fights by dedicating himself first with his training.

Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach may disagree about financial opportunities, what food to eat, and what color boxing trunks to wear but the fighter and his trainer are always on the same page when it comes to boxing. Whatever Freddie Roach teaches and says, the boxer listens and executes. However hard Freddie Roach requires for training, the superstar will always go over the top to impress his teacher. After the fight with De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao said, "Everything Freddie told me would happen, it happened." Manny is currently at the top of his game and Manny Pacquiao himself would say its because he puts all his trust to the trainer that is now like his father.

Manny Pacquiao Boxing Fansite: The pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao continues to pour in the accolades for himself and his country.

Boxer Manny Pacquiao: View From the Philippines

It's 8 AM Sunday, May 8, 2011 in Manila. Not too far from the bay on a side street in the Ermita district of the city sits the crowded Manila Bay Cafe.

Formerly one of the most popular red light neighborhoods in Asia, Ermita, this somewhat rundown district of Manila, has undergone a continuous massive cleanup by Mayor Alfred Lim. The bar itself, formerly known as "LA Cafe," contains several large bars, a stage for live bands and plenty of billiards tables spanning two floors.

Running 24/7, until a year ago it was one of the few remaining "bar girl" havens. Lim closed it down after undercover officials discovered underage solicitors. After several months it was reopened officially as a sports bar, so it's the perfect place to take in the Filipino perspective on this morning's Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight (Manila is 10 hours ahead of Las Vegas).

The mood is noisy but festive, and the venue is as heavily crowded as any busy Saturday night. Since there are no windows there's no way to tell that it's actually Sunday morning. Most of the men are drinking beer.

"I asked to work today and skipped church to see my Manny win again."

A skimpily clad waitress, a typical dark-haired, exotic native beauty, hands me an OJ and vodka. After all, it's only been a day since I got off the plane after a 16-hour flight from LAX, and by my own body clock, it's still early Saturday evening. The country here is very Catholic, but clearly the bearded savior has got some serious competition today, nigh two weeks after Easter Sunday.

One of several bars inside the venue. To suggest Manny Pacquiao is a God here may be understated. Let me explain. It's rather noisy, so I duck into the men's room, where Rico, the head bathroom attendant, shakes my hand. Rico loves to discuss sports, especially, one of the four famous big "B's," the most loved Filipino sports: boxing, billiards, bowling and basketball.

"No problem," Rico says. "Mosley's not going to stop him. What do you think, my friend?"

Boxing had always taken a back seat to bowling and billiards in the Philippines, the source of champion legends like bowling's Rafael "Paeng" Nepomuceno and the "magician" of billiards himself, Efren "Bata" Reyes. Both were sources of great national pride until Pacquiao elevated boxing to the No. 1 "B" position.

"He came here and kicked ass in billiards," said Rico, intentionally leaning on the American slang. Sure enough, the Pac-Man's distinctive autograph graced one of the lamps over a central billiards table. "He could just as easily make it big in billiards."

True or not, it underscores the general belief and hope that Pacquiao can not only box-but that he can do anything he sets his mind to, most recently to solve the country's problems with corruption and poverty.

As I chatted with other Filipinos in the excited crowd, a clear impression began to take shape. Regardless of the outcome of this morning's fight, to the average Filipino, Pacquiao has ascended far above the role of boxing's national pride. He has become the "one." Several said they were sure he'd be president someday in the not too distant future.

There seems to be little concern as to whether or not he is going to win. In fact, I asked several people why they came out on Sunday morning to view the fight and whether they thought he would defend his title yet again. "Our bayani (hero) will win, but even if he doesn't, we are here to support him. He's here to save the Philippines. Boxing is his hobby."

The proud people of the Philippines seek a savior, and right now it's Manny Pacquiao. The demographic today is different here from the last fight viewing: more women and less actual fight talk. I'm now certain that aside from a core of true boxing enthusiasts, today's crowd is less here to watch a fight than, I dare say, to pay homage and get a look at their living messiah in action.

Thus far Pacquiao has had no difficulty filling the massive shoes of expectation placed upon him by these people. Beset with the dire economic consequences of decades of widespread government corruption, they've had a string of bad luck with elected officials entering office on that platform only to conspicuously become part of the problem as they used their office to enrich themselves and their families. Wealthy beyond belief but from common roots, they view Manny as different.

It's apparent that the fighter himself is even taking the extra step to promote this new role. A newly elected national congressman, in fact its richest member, he appeared at Wednesday's press conference dressed in a conservative suit. Reading a prepared speech, he said, "The biggest fight of my life is not in boxing...(but)...to end poverty in my country." He spoke as if defending the Welterweight title against Shane Mosley was a secondary concern.

Mosley, equally moved, referred endearingly to his opponent as "a great person." As the fight begins I find myself starting, too, to feel a certain awe that there's more to this nationalistically yellow-clad "bayani" than championship boxing.

Marshall Davidson, M.D.,aka. "Dopadoc," a physician who battles early-onset (age 44, 2005) Parkinson's disease. He maintains the website "Dopadoc's Parkinson's Journal" at http://www.dopadoc.com and spends part of his time in the Philippines.

To quote, " I am a doctor with Parkinson's Disease. Ironically I have come to enjoy boxing both as a fan and a late learner. I have an interest in head-trauma sport-induced Parkinsonism as in my own case, my condition may be due in a large part to years of ice-hockey.

I firmly believe that the better a basic knowledge you have of your disease, the more you'll be able to make competent care decisions for yourself and weed out bad doctors and outright quacks. My website aims to provide the lay person with essential information crucial to taking charge of your care. Take a look for yourself and raise your medical IQ. We even have a basic Parkinson's curriculum you can enroll in for free." We have an international online community of regular users from over 70 nations.

Philippine's Manny Pacquiao Rewrites Boxing History

When Manny Pacquiao was about to battle Golden Boy Oscar Dela Hoya last year, the Filipino ring icon was believed to be facing the most daunting moment of his boxing career.

Even before the Dela Hoya-Pacquiao fight was finalized, Manny Pacquiao was already a loser in the eyes of most boxing analysts. But he proved them wrong. The Filipino boxing hero demolished DeLa Hoya, a six-time world champion, in the eight round.

Then came Pacquiao's encounter with Ricky Hatton, whose boxing record was desecrated by Floyd Mayweather Jr., a possible next opponent of Pacquiao. But before that fight, Hatton was unbeaten. He was unbeaten in the 140 lbs weight until Pacquiao abolished Hatton's untarnished record at 140 pounds.

Many people believed then that in fighting the Briton Hatton, Pacquiao was facing the greatest test of his professional boxing career. Again, Pacquiao proved the critics wrong. He humiliated Hatton in the second round of their fight. Hatton was never the same again, after that devastating defeat.

Last year the Philippines' boxing legend attempted to do something that was never done before: winning the championship belt in seven weight divisions. Pacquiao was immortalized in history books when he stopped Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas.

Last year's fight was again categorized as Pacquiao's toughest test of his record. In looking at the tale of the tape, boxing pundits seem to be saying Pacquaio's previous victories over three Mexican boxing legends (Antonio Barerra, Erik Morales, Juan Marquez)and over a British boxing hero were insignificant in comparison to his much anticipated ring war with Mayweather.

If the pride of the Philippines was able to survive Cotto's power punch, this fight, in the event that Manny Pacquiao faces the unbeaten Mayweather Jr., would hardly be remembered as the "toughest fight of Pacquiao's career."

For Filipino fans, Pacquiao's win over Miguel Cotto wass the most important one since the win made Pacquaio the greatest boxer in the world of all time, having won seven championship belts in seven weight divisions. No one, not even Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson, has achieved that kind of rare accomplishment: winning seven belts in seven weight divisions.

Pacquiao's possibility of scuttling Mayweather's record is not as momentous as the possibility of the Filipino boxing hero's triumph over Cotto. This is the cause of the relentless buildup of thrill and excitement compounded with media hype.

Bob Arum, the promoter of this fight, had already said of Pacquiao as more popular than Ali, Tyson, and Dela Hoya. His statement remains not that arbitrary though.

But what is more important is for Pacquiao to rewrite boxing history come November 15.

Stan Debohol is an expat in the philippines. He reads Filipino stories and philippine news.

Manny Pacquiao: An Introduction to Margarito Fight

This is brief information about Manny Pacquiao. Manny was born on December 17, 1978, and is now a world-renowned boxing champion. He is also a politician, winning a congressman position in the Philippines. His father is Rosalio Pacquiao and her mother, now a well known actress, is Dionesia Pacquiao. Not many people know that Manny is also a very devoted Catholic, and much like any other Filipino citizens, he always visits the Black Nazarene church in Quiapo, Manila every time a boxing fight has commenced. Manny Pacquiao is also a reservist in Philippine Army, with a rand of Sergeant Major for the fifteenth Ready Reserve Division. Manny Pacquiao has been the Filipino pride. Whenever he is in the ring, it was noticed by many that on that day, crime rate is very low. This shows how much Filipinos value Manny Pacquiao and what he has done to provide glory to his country.

One thing people might notice though is that he appears too much in television, having weekly shows. He has become a big celebrity which other thinks he abuses to gain people's trust, winning him a congressman position. This is somewhat true because his candidacy could have been a different story had he not been a boxing champion and a celebrity. Many Filipinos nowadays have different problems, ranging from poverty to safety issues to high unemployment rates. Some Filipinos (Pinoys) always gathering and forming a rally just to have their voices heard. This is tiring to some as rallies are formed almost in a weekly basis. Instead of rallying, why don't they just act responsibly and for alliances with others to generate more success?

Like Manny who started from the very bottom, they too could be as successful as he is, by striving hard and giving a hundred percent all the time. On November 13, 2010, Manny Pacquiao will fight Antonio Margarito for a chance in gaining the WBC Super Welterweight World Title, and in winning will give him eight weight class titles. Maybe on November 13, crime rates in the Philippines will be low again.

Bubog Mallari is the cofounder of a number of Filipino Multimedia Websites such as FlipBooth. To read more and watch videos of the fight, visit Pacquiao VS Margarito Fight. To contact him Bubog Mallari directly, either fill the contact form in any of these sites, or via this web page in EzineArticles.