Why Manny Pacquiao Is the Greatest Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao’s life has been like something out of a movie. From the slums of the Philippines living in poverty to fighting on the street to feed his family to hearing his name chanted in packed stadiums across the world, a hero arose. 

And as a fighter, he has been almost unparalleled in his accomplishments. He has so few peers in boxing that he is in the conversation for greatest fighter, pound for pound, who ever lived.

Only a few names are in the same class. Muhammad Ali. Pernell Whitaker. Sugar Ray Robinson. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Henry Armstrong. Harry Greb. 

Here are 20 reasons why Manny Pacquiao — all 5-foot-5, 145 pounds of him — is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time.

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao was born on Dec. 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Philippines, a small, impoverished province in the municipality of Bukidnon.

He was the fourth of six children born to Rosalio and Dionisia Pacquiao, and the level of poverty he was born into can’t be overstated.

When he was 11 years old, things got worse. Rosalio left the family to live with another woman, making Dionisia a single mother and planting the seeds in Manny Pacquiao’s head that he would be willing to do whatever it took to rise above the dire circumstances into which he was born. 

Words to remember: “He hasn’t forgotten that gnawing pain in his gut; the many, many times his single mother could only offer her six children warm water in lieu of food before bedtime.” — ESPN’s Greg Garber, 2015

Pacquiao began fighting for money in the hardscrabble streets of the Philippines when he was just 12 years old, one year after his father left his mother and his five siblings to fend for themselves.

Why did he do it? According to Pacquiao, it was just a case of supply and demand. The street fights needed fighters at different weight levels. Pacquiao needed money, and knew that you got paid, win or lose — 100 pesos ($2) to the winner, 50 pesos ($1) to the loser.

That money would feed himself and his family for a few days. He had no formal training, just a request to tape his hands up and point him at a target. 

Words to remember: “I heard that when you fight, even when you lose, you have money. And when you win, you receive 100 pesos, which is the equivalent of two dollars. If you lose, one dollar, which is 50 pesos. For 4 pesos, you can get a big bag of rice.” — Manny Pacquiao, 2015

Manny Pacquiao has won titles at a dizzying clip. His first came in 1997 with a knockout of Chokcai Chockvivat to claim the OPBF flyweight title when Pacquiao was just 18 years old.

Then, he went on to become the first man to win eight division titles — welterweight, junior welterweight, featherweight, junior featherweight, junior middleweight, lightweight, junior lightweight, flyweight.

At one point, he held a record 12 titles from different boxing federations spread out over the eight divisions.

Perhaps the most impressive was his 11-round TKO of Marco Antonio Barrera to win the featherweight title in 2003 — the fight when Pacquaio entered the discussion of greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time.

Words to remember: “I was never more prepared or in better condition for a fight than I was for my fight against Marco Antonio Barrera. It was the biggest fight of my career to that point. Barrera was considered one of the top or perhaps the top pound-for-pound fighter and destroyed Naseem Hamed. I remember walking to the ring in San Antonio and getting booed by everyone. I think I had one fan — [trainer] Freddie [Roach]. I had no idea what I had done to these people.” — Manny Pacquiao, 2011

One thing no one can say about Pacquiao is that he’s not heavily invested in his home country. The people of the Philippines have benefited from Pacquiao’s success as much as anyone throughout his 20-plus years atop the boxing world.

He’s given plenty back, but he’s also leveraged his fame and money to put himself in a position of power. In a country known for fixed elections and a corrupt political system, Pacquiao served two terms in the House of Representatives and is currently serving a six-year term as a senator that ends in 2022.

That’s the same year the Philippines holds its next presidential election, and he’s already being looked at as a heavy favorite. 

Words to remember: “[Pacquiao] turned 40 Dec. 17. You have to be 40 to be president of the Philippines. The next presidential election is in 2022. Some polls project Pacquiao as the winner.” — Los Angeles Times, 2019