Manny’s Meteoric Rise – Part 1
February 9th, 2010
By Alexander Fugate: Manny Pacquiao is currently regarded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game today. So, exactly how did he get there? Here’s an honest look at the rise of Manny Pacquiao. In 2003, Manny Pacquiao was the International Boxing Federation super bantamweight champion with a record of 37-2-2.
Both losses were by knockout to average opponents. Marco Antonio Barrera was the champion one weight class above at 126 and widely regarded as one of the best boxers at the time. Pacquiao proved too much for Barrera overwhelming him with power shots. However, Barrera had his training disrupted when he was forced to leave Big Bear, where he was training, in the middle of training due to wildfires. Regardless, Pacquiao came in great shape and did his job and did very, very well.
After this Manny fought a confidence builder against Hector Velazquez, who had 10 losses on his record. Next, Morales being the consummate champion that he is gave Manny a rematch, even though Manny had refused this to Barrera and Marquez. While Pacquiao beat Velazquez, Morales had lost another fight, this time to a Zahir Rahim. Pacquiao got his revenge. Manny went back to fight Oscar Larios in the Phillipines. Larios, like Morales, had lost the last time he got in the ring. Manny then came back to the states and gave Morales a rubber match, which Manny easily won.
Jorge Solis was Pacquiao’s next opponent. Solis was undefeated at the time but still not considered a top tier fighter as he hadn’t been in with anyone of Pacquiao’s caliber. Meantime, Marquez won a lopsided decision over Barrera. Before that, it took everything Barrera had to squeak out two wins against Rocky Juarez. So the great champion, would surely give Marquez the rematch, right? Wrong, he instead chose to take on Barrera again, who had looked poor in his last three matchups. After beating Barrera, there weren’t any big fights out there except for Marquez. The public and Marquez had been wanting a rematch for four years. Finally, feeling the pressure of the public, Manny finally gave in and fought Marquez for a second time. This was an extremely close contest. At the end of the night, one judge gave the fight to Marquez, and two gave it to Pacquiao. There are many who feel Marquez did more than enough to win and clearly got robbed. The public demanded a rubber match. Marquez asked for another fight. Manny ignored them and moved up to 135 and fought the worst title holder at that weight class.
Tags: 19 Responses to “Manny’s Meteoric Rise – Part 1”
Leave a Reply
please use above banner to link back to us!
Juan Manuel Marquez says:
February 9, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Can someone answer my question?? Why do I always like to put both my feet up in the air when I get knocked down? I can’t help it. Please give me advice! bwahahahahahaha!
@lacem,
Stop flogging a dead horse. Your PED accusation doesn’t hold water anymore. Let the commission mandate it and Pacquiao will surely oblige. But if it’s crackhead mayweathers demand, no way! Move on.
“Here’s an honest look at the rise of Manny Pacquiao”…Are you kidding me? You are not being honest at all! First, of all, Barrera had a rematch clause on the contract but didn’t use it for obvious reason. He only fought Pacquiao again because he was looking for a big retirement pay. Marquez LOST the first fight. He only got a draw because of that stupid judge who couldn’t count. Also, Marquez didn’t get the rematch because he priced himself out! Opting instead to fight Chris John for a measly $30,000 and lost…to Chris John! As for Morales, he was still on top of his game and was still considered as one of the best when he fought Pacquiao and proved it by beating Pacquiao. And please, don’t downgrade Pacquiao’s accomplishment and then tell us he beat the undefeated Larios because he had not faced a fighter of Pacquiao’s caliber? Do you even read your own article?
EVERYONE KNOWS STEROIDS IS
HOW HE GOT WHERE HE GOT
WOULD ANYBODY IN THE WORLD
REFUSE 25MILLION FOR 3 DROPS OF BLOOD
I believe you’re stating opinions and not facts, Marquez won a lopsided victory over Barrera, are you kidding me? if it weren’t for that incident that it was ruled not a knockdown (Barrera knocked Marquez down… watch it on replay) and that cheap shot he got for punching Marquez while on the canvas, Barrera won that fight. And Marquez officially ducked Pac instead opting to fight John in Indonesia. Its all over the news.
seems biased…
when a great fighter badly beats a good fighter everyone sees it as the good fighter is washed up or shot. that s the case of pacquiao and mayweather. i really like mayweasthers’s defense and i’d like to see if it can hold against pacman’s assaults.
On the rematch of Pacman and Dinamita, it was Dinamita who went away from a rematch with Pacman, fighting and losing instead to Chris John of Indonesia.
So no one argues that Pacquiao has only faced shot opponents? I would think, the Pacfans would have some sort of argument against an article like this. Instead, they just agree that Manny only fights shot fighter’s but its just hating to point out the truth. Is anything in this article not factually correct??? Has Pacman been exposed? Is it true Manny is fighting Clottey next?!? So, Manny is afraid of all the top fighters in every weight class,but he’s beat a lot of washed up opponents! That makes him the best ever!
Wether boxing fans like it or not, only Pacquio and Mayweather are currently carrying the sport of boxing in the mainstream. Otherwise, it is all UFC in combat sport that people will be watching in PPV! Unfortunately, a lot of folks out there are either Pac haters or Floyd haters. This two great boxers are the only reason why boxing is still hanging on in the mainstream of combat sports.
Pacquiao was the MEXECUTIONER.
Man, you are a very bad writer. Don’t do Part 2!
manny wouldnt love to be compared to a meteor.. he is a storm, from the pacific – the pacific storm
you did not write that in the first fight of pacman-marquez, it was pacman who was rob of a victory bec. one of the judges admitted that he erred in his record sheet. it was supposed to be 10-7 and not 10-8. Don’t be bias, be real.
The reason why Manny is the No. 1 P4P fighter in the world is because he brings excitement to his fans everytime he fights. You may have seen fighters who have no-loss records but if their wins is due to hit and run or hit and clinch tactics, people get bored watching. Juan Manuel Marquez is also another exciting fighter to watch. If not for the overmatch against Floyd Mayweather, he would still be No. 3. But he had to take the fight because he needed the money badly. the cards were stacked against him because MAYWEATHER, despite being bigger, weighed in 3 lbs. over the stipulated weight. To me that is already CHEATING and a display of BAD FAITH. Marquez, badly needing the money, accepted the $300,000 fine. Pacquiao doesn’t want to be placed in the same very disadvantageous situation so they asked a $10,000,000 penalty should Mayweather weigh in as much as 1 pound over the limit.
Can someone answer my question?? Why do I always like to put both my feet up in the air when I get knocked down? I can’t help it. Please give me advice!
What a title. METEORIC RISE !!
Only problem with it is the content to bash on Pacquiao.
This is more like having a title about apples and the contents are oranges.
I got suckered
Great article Liam Santiago.
I sense another hater here. If you are telling pac is overrated, what would you call Juan Manuel Marquez? Juan Manuel Marquez likes to kiss the canvass with both legs up in the air. If he is your idol there is something wrong with you. Marquez is funny as hell. And his win against Barrera was not lopsided. I don’t understand why people have to hate Pacman or Mayweather. They are both great fighters.
I bet you did not vote for pacman in boxer of the decade! are you a part of BWAA?!! you sounded like manuela perez and davida lahr.