While many of us love Emmanuel Pacquiao, the senator, most of us would like to revere him as Manny Pacquiao, the boxer.
It is because he, undeniably, put the Philippines on notice to the international audience because of his ring performances.
When reports spread to the public that Manny, now 39, send his latest victim, Lucas Matthysse, into retirement despite being four years younger at 35, I was in awe.
Among the reasons I like watching Oscar de la Hoya before was his tendency to fight the best fighters during his time.
He did not hide from many of them, even shifting weight divisions just to take a shot at them. Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Shane Mosley, Julio Cesar Chavez (2x), Ricardo Mayorga, and even Pacquiao himself.
It is a wonder that Pacquiao is not only doing the same thing up until his age today, he is taking a step higher by ending the careers of many of his esteemed opponents.
Just take a glance back on the boxing careers effective ended by our Fighting Senator:
Lehlohonolo Ledwaba (June 23, 2001)
This was Pacman’s first fight in the United States and he “shocked” the foreign audience by knocking out “The Hands of Stone” in six rounds for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Super Bantamweight Title.
Ledwaba, the defending champion, was tagged as the heavy favorite in this bout and was even handed another advantage with Pacquiao accepting the fight on short notice as a replacement. He was 33-1-1, with 22 KOs, going in the fight and was only 29 at this time.
Ledwaba was not the same after this fight. He fought seven more times and lost four of them, including his last bout for World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan African Super Featherweight Title, when he was 35.
Jorge Eliecer Julio (June 8, 2002)
Pacman TKO’ed Julio in the second round to retain his IBF World Super Bantamweight title.
Julio was 44-3-0, with 32 KOs, coming to this bout, although he was 33 at that time. Julio Had previously held the WBA and World Boxing Organization Bantamweight (WBO) titles before this bout.
Julio fought only once after this bout, also losing by TKO, before calling it quits.
Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov (March 15, 2003)
Pacman won by TKO in the fifth round of this featherweight contest as Manny gauge how he can hold in a higher weigh division.
Yeshmagambetov was 30 years old and has a 17-5-1, with eight KOs going into this bout. He won five of his last six prior to facing Pacquiao.
He actually fought for nine more times in the next six more years but was clearly not the same fighter. He won just three of them while losing three consecutive for the first time in his career.
He was TKO’d in his last bout when he was 36.
Emmanuel Lucero (July 23, 2006)
Pacman TKO’d Lucero in the third round of this super bantamweight contest.
Coming in this bout, Lucero, who was only 24 then, held a 21-0-1, with 12 KOs record. He previously held the World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas Super Bantamweight Title.
Lucero went on to fight 18 more times after this bout. His loss to Pacquiao, however, clearly started the downward trend of his career.
He did grab the IBF Latino Featherweight Title some eight months after but went on to loss five of his next seven bouts.
He was on an eight-bout losing streak when decided he had enough at 34. His final career fight record: 26-14-1.
David Diaz (June 28, 2008)
Pacman TKO’d Diaz in this lightweight contest.
Diaz carried a 34-1-1, with 17 KOs, record coming to this bout. He already held multi-titles prior to facing Pacquiao.
He went on to fight four more times, losing two of them, including a unanimous decision loss for the then vacant WBC World Lightweight Title.
Oscar De La Hoya (December 6, 2008)
Pacman send the “Golden Boy” into retirement went he could not answer the bell of round nine of their “The Dream Match”, a welterweight contest.
De La Hoya needs no introduction here as he was an Olympic gold medalist and past holder of 10 world titles in six weight divisions, although he was clearly at the tail end of his boxing career when this bout happened.
This turned out to be the last fight of De La Hoya, which was a pitiful sight for the former decorated fighter who Pacquiao turned into a clearly beaten fighter who cannot stand up from his stool to continue the bout.
Pacquiao had to step up two weight divisions and De La Hoya had to go down one weight division to make the welterweight division eligibility.
De La Hoya finished his career with a 39-6-0 record at age 35. He admitted that this was the hardest fight of his career, although he said the criteria includes the circumstances when the bout was made.
Ricky Hatton (May 2, 2009)
Pacman knocked out cold “The Hitman” in this fight for the International Boxing Organization (IBO) World Super Lightweight Title.
Both fighters were 30 years old when this fight happened. Hatton had a daunting 45-1-0, with 32 kayoes, record coming into this fight. He already won and defended multiple world championships at light-welterweight and one at welterweight prior to facing Pacquaio.
His only loss was to Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He was fresh from a successful defense of his (IBO) World Super Lightweight Title and was the toughest opponent of Pacquiao at this point of his career.
Hatton was never the same after this knockout loss. He fought only one more time, three years after this fight, and lost also by knockout.
This forced Hatton to retire. He later admitted that he went into depression and contemplated committing suicide after losing to Pacquiao.
Antonio Margarito (November 13, 2010)
Pacman pummeled Margarito for a lopsided unanimous decision victory for the vacant WBC World Super Welterweight Title.
Margarito was already a decorated welterweight fighter going to this fight, although the foreign material found under his arm wraps may have put doubts on his previous wins. He was just 32, carrying a 38-6-0 record that includes 27 knockouts coming to this bout.
This is the fight where many saw Pacquiao seemingly plead to the ref to stop the fight as Margarito refuses to give up despite being badly beaten to a pulp including a serious eye injury.
Margarito fought one more time, losing to Miguel Cotto in a title bout, before calling it quits in 2012.
He, however, is attempting a comeback by coming out of retirement in March, 2016. He is currently on a three-bout winning streak on this comeback trail.
Chris Algieri (November 23, 2014)
Pacman won this bout via a unanimous decision with the WBO World Welterweight Title at stake.
Algieri came into this bout undefeated, racking up 20 straight wins. He had to give up his WBO World Super Lightweight title as WBO rules mandate a fighter of theirs cannot hold belts in different weight simultaneously.
Pacquiao knocked Algieri down six times, two each in the sixth, ninth and tenth, to jack out a lopsided unanimous decision, 119–103, 119–103 and 120–102 on the judges scorecards.
Algieri was not the same after this loss. He fought three more times, losing two of them badly, one but unanimous decision and the other by TKO.
He hasn’t officially retired yet but his last fight happened more than two years ago.
Timothy Bradley (April 9, 2016)
Pacman won this third fight by unanimous decision and took possession of the vacant World Boxing Organisation (WBO) International Welterweight Title.
Bradley was a light welterweight and welterweight world champion before facing Pacquiao for a third time to decide who wins their triology.
Bradley won their first face off by a controversial split decision. He ended a 15-bout, seven-year winning streak of Pacquiao that started after his defeat against Erik Morales.
Pacquiao returned the favor in the second match, winning by unanimous decision and giving Bradley his first career loss after 31 straight wins.
Pacquiao knocked Bradley down twice and was dominant throughout the third fight.
This turned out to be the last fight Bradley would participate in. He officially announced his retirement three months after. He was 33-2-1 when he decided to hang his gloves.
Lucas Martin Matthysse (July 15, 2018)
This one’s should still be fresh from the oven where Pacman took possession of the WBA World Welterweight Title by finishing Matthsse in the seventh round.
Matthysse comes into this fight with a 39-4 record. What is more impressive is his 92% knockout ratio, flooring 36 opponents. He was the defending champion and previously held the WBC interim super lightweight
He announced his retirement last August 2, 2018.
While these careers are impressive, there could be one that could top them all as reports are floating that there is a chance Pacquiao-Mayweather 2 could happen.
Will the man with the greatest numerical career give Pacman a chance at putting a dent on his record?
By: ARMANDO BOLISLIS
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