Pacquiao elected to Boxing Hall of Fame
NEW YORK—Manny Pacquiao, the Filipino pug who has been in talks as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of all time, just got his due with an inclusion into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (Ibhof) next year, the organization announced on Thursday.
The 45-year-old southpaw who reigned in a record eight divisions as world champion, is the biggest name in a 14-man batch to be inducted in June 2025.
“I’m so happy that I have been selected to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame,” Pacquiao said in a statement on the Ibhof website. “This certainly is a wonderful Christmas gift.”
In a career that spanned the years 1995 to 2021, Pacquiao became world champion from the flyweight (112 pounds) through the super welterweight (154 pounds) divisions.
He used fast footwork and blinding hand speed to become one of the top offensive fighters in the sport’s history, and after a 72-fight career, wound up with 62 wins, eight losses and two draws.
Glittering career
While he had many victories to remember, one loss will continue to stand out. It took place on May 2, 2015, at MGM Grand in Nevada when flamboyant American Floyd Mayweather, in a controversial unanimous decision victory, pounded out the South Cotabato native in what was billed as the “fight of the century.”
Pacquiao would later on admit that he had an undisclosed shoulder injury in losing that fight that actually didn’t live up to the hype.
In 2019, at the age of 40, Pacquiao became the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history by taking a split decision win over American Keith Thurman for the World Boxing Association crown at 147 pounds.
But throughout his glittering career, Pacquiao churned out victories over other Hall of Fame-worthy fighters like Americans Oscar de la Hoya and Shane Mosley, Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera, Britain’s Ricky Hatton and Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto.
His exploits made him the first Filipino athlete to appear on a postage stamp, and he was featured in Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2009.
As expected in his country, Pacquiao’s boxing glory prompted him to venture into politics. He was elected senator in 2016 and threw his hat in the presidential arena in 2022 but lost to Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Pacquiao follows to the Hall of Fame other Filipino greats, such as Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, under the “Modern” category of Ibhof and Pancho Villa, under the “Old Timer” category.
“Villa is considered by many to be the greatest Asian fighter in boxing history,” Ibhof said on its website, describing the fighter as “explosive and unrelenting in the ring.” His brief but exciting career spanned the years 1919 to 1925, when he died of a fatal infection at the age of 24.
Elorde was a 1960s super featherweight world champion who died in 1985. In 1993 he became the first Asian inducted by Ibhof, a year ahead of Villa.
Pacquiao said about his new distinction: “I am humbled knowing that in June [next year], I will receive boxing’s highest honor, joining our national hero, Flash Elorde, as well as my trainer and friend Freddie Roach.”
“Throughout my career, as a professional fighter and a public servant, it has been my goal to bring honor to my country, the Philippines, and my fellow Filipinos around the world.”
