Manny Pacquiao has been dropped only a handful of times in his illustrious career, but one of which came against a fighter who would do whatever it takes to get the upper hand.
Manny Pacquiao had been dropped just twice in his career by the time of his 30th fight, and it was in his 32nd that he would face the man who would drop him once more.
Pacquiao whose record sat at 29-2, took on an undefeated 19-0 fighter in his home country of the Philippines in a WBC International Super Bantamweight title fight.
The man’s name was Nedal Hussein, but the fight was anything but a typical contest.
Manny Pacquiao’s opponent threw an elbow at him before being knocked out by the Filipino legend
In 2000, ‘Pac-Man’ faced 19-0 Hussein. Initially, the fight did not seem to be going the way of the Filipino legend, who had yet to become a household name.
Pacquiao was dropped in the fourth round, marking the third time ever in his career that he had touched down on the canvas.
The point he lost by being knocked down was, however, soon balanced out as his opponent, Hussein, was deducted a point for disregarding the rules of boxing entirely and throwing an elbow at Pacquiao, hoping to win by any means necessary.
Despite the dirty tactic, the fight went on, and Pacquiao soon turned the tide, inflicting a cut on Hussein that became so bad the fight was called off in Pacquiao’s favor in the tenth round.
Manny Pacquiao will return against a champion who wasn’t even born when he began boxing
Pacquiao’s boxing debut came in January 1995. Months later, in May, Mario Barrios was born. Pacquiao’s debut was months before Barrios was born, and yet the pair are now destined to clash.
Now, 30 years later, Barrios, the welterweight world champion, will defend his crown against a 46-year-old Pacquiao in a mega-fight for the aged legend.
Fans have criticized Pacquiao’s training footage, and many believe his age alone makes the fight an unwinnable one, though it remains to be seen how well he will fare against the champion when they meet this July.
Pacquiao hopes to fight Gervonta Davis next if he can get past Barrios.