Manny ‘Pac-Man’ Pacquiao boasts some of the greatest achievements in boxing, but perhaps none are as sweet as revenge.
Manny Pacquiao has earned some of the most impressive accolades in the sport. He is both the only eight-division world champion and the only boxer to have held championships across four decades.
His last fight was in 2021 where he was defeated by the younger and fresher Yordenis Ugas, though he still has ambition to continue fighting.
Now a politician, Pacquiao enjoyed wins over Adrien Broner, who famously took Paulie Malignaggi’s belt and girlfriend on the same night, as well as Keith Thurman, Shane Mosley, and Tim Bradley Jr. His record stands at 62-8-2.
For much of his career, Pacquiao was trained by legendary trainer, Freddie Roach who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Though Pacquiao’s wins and titles are his pride and joy, getting revenge on the boxers who made fun of his trainer’s condition was a truly glorious victory.
Manny Pacquiao puts a beating on Antonio Margarito after he mocked Freddie Roach’s Parkinsons
Antonio Margarito was no stranger to controversy. In 2009 he was found to have suspicious material under his wraps, with his scheduled opponent Shane Mosley’s doctor likening the material to that which is used to make plaster.
Margarito had these materials confiscated and claimed he did not know about them. He would lose the fight to Mosley, but his troubles did not end there.
Later that year, it was revealed that the materials bore a striking resemblance to some used in Margarito’s wraps for the Miguel Cotto fight, leading many to believe Cotto was stopped as a result of illegal wraps.
In 2010, before his fight with Pacquiao, footage emerged of Margarito imitating Freddie Roach’s Parkinsons, something Pacquiao would not forgive.
The fight would be a brutal one, and though it didn’t end in a stoppage, Pacquiao punished Margarito for his cruelty in every single round, winning by a near-shutout decision, and defending his trainer’s honor.
Not only that, but the fight also saw Pacquiao win the WBC super welterweight title.
Margarito’s trainer, Robert Garcia, said: “He had to stay in hospital because his eyes were swollen and he had to get surgery on his cheekbone.”
Who did Manny Pacquiao win his titles from?
Pacquiao was an eight-division world champion. He began his career as a flyweight, and ended it as a super-welterweight.
Pacquiao won his first world title against Chatchai Sasakul in 1998, winning by eight-round stoppage.
His next title came in the super-bantamweight division, where he defeated then-33-1-1 Lehlo Ledwaba to capture the belt. This was followed by an attempt to unify with Agapito Sanchez, though their fight ended in a draw.
Pacquiao’s next fight would be a big one as he took on Marco Antonio Barrera, who had all but retired Naseem Hamed, who ended a fight in 36 seconds, a couple of years prior. Pacquiao would win the fight, and take home The Ring and Lineal featherweight titles.
He attempted to add the IBF title in his next fight against Juan Manuel Marquez but this fight ended in a draw.
Pacquiao faced both Barrera and Marquez again almost five years later, claiming the super-featherweight title from Marquez.
Pacquiao’s next four fights would see him win the world lightweight title from David Diaz, the IBO super-lightweight title from Ricky Hatton, and the WBO welterweight title from Miguel Cotto, with a win over Oscar De La Hoya along the way. Ricky Hatton didn’t recognise Brad Pitt in the audience after Pacquiao knocked him out.
Pacquiao has been classed as one of the top lightweights in boxing.
The bout with Margarito saw Pacquiao’s next world title victory, becoming a super-welterweight champion. Pacquiao would compete at welterweight for the remainder of his career.