Manny Pacquiao has been a part of some historic rivalries with one of them beginning 20 years ago today.
Having already fought the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez for the first time, ‘PacMan’ kicked off another iconic series of fights on March 19, 2005.
Along with going on to face Oscar De La Hoya the following year, who Pacquiao lists as his inspiration, he has shared the ring with many legends across his own incredible career.
Following his controversial draw with Marquez, which Pacquiao avenged in the rematch, he bounced back with a win before finding himself in another battle for the ages.
The Filipino star took on Mexico’s Erik Morales who unlike in his incredible resurgence against Marcos Maidana six years later, was very much in his prime.
Manny Pacquiao was beaten by Erik Morales in an incredible 12-round war in 2005
After the conclusion of his trilogy with Marco Antonio Barrera where he lost the WBC super featherweight title via a majority decision, Erik Morales was set to face Manny Pacquiao for the vacant IBA and WBC International super featherweight titles.
‘PacMan’ was continuing to move through the weight classes after competing at featherweight last time out but this was going to be no easy transition.
Morales was a three-division world champion having also moved through divisions in his career with the only losses on his 47-2 record coming against Barrera who Pacquiao had beaten two years prior.
‘El Terrible’ came into the matchup as the underdog but from the moment the fight started, it was clear that this one was going to be closely contested.
Not only was Morales was able to take Pacquiao’s power, he often threw right back in some breath-taking exchanges.
A clash of heads in the fifth round opened up a cut on Pacquiao but this didn’t deter him even with his opponent having a size advantage.
Both men traded blows and somehow stayed on their feet with neither of them letting up at any point in the fight which only added to the incredible atmosphere inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Despite seemingly being up on the scorecards, Morales earned the respect of fight fans all around the world when he chose to switch to southpaw in the 12th round.
This dangerous move could’ve easily backfired as the two men brawled throughout the final 3-minute period but instead, it showcased Morales’ incredible heart and fighting spirit which saw him win 115-113 across all three scorecards.
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Manny Pacquiao ended the trilogy with back-to-back wins
After both men went away to fight different opponents in their next outings, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao met again the following year.
‘PacMan’ largely dominated the rematch before becoming the first man to stop Morales following a TKO win in the 10th round.
A trilogy fight to settle the score was booked for later on in 2006 where once again, it was Pacquiao that got his hand raised.
At ‘The Grand Finale’, it took Pacquiao just three rounds to stop Morales who retired the following fight before returning in 2010 for 7 more bouts, including his classic fight with Maidana.