By Yan D: First off all this isn’t any disrespect to Manny Pacquiao’s great career in any way, but I just find it funny when people keep calling him the only 8 division world champion in boxing. It is true that Pacquiao won titles in 8 different divisions, but not all of those titles were world titles. Here is a list of Pacquiao’s world titles and I am being nice to include the WBO titles at welterweight, since I believe the WBO has basically no credibility in my eyes.
1) WBC Flyweight Champion (112 lbs)
2) IBF Super Bantamweight Champion (122 lbs)
3) WBC Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)
4) WBC Lightweight Champion (135 lbs)
5) (2) WBO Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)
6) WBC Light Middleweight Champion (154 lbs)
Let me know if my math are wrong but I can only count 7 World titles (Pacquiao won the WBO 147lb title twice) in 6 weight classes, which ranks him equal with the “Golden Boy” Oscar de la Hoya. Despite what the media and especially Bob Arum says, Manny never won a major title at 126 and 140, and for the hardcore Pacquiao fans :
THE RING BELT AT 126 AND THE IBO BELT AT 140 ARE NOT. I REPEAT, ARE NOT MAJOR SANCTIONED WORLD TITLES NO MATTER HOW YOU PUT IT.
I won’t complain about who he beats to win the belt because a win is a win and today’s era of boxing is what it is with many useless weight classes and titles. I also won’t complain about the catch-weights because Bob Arum didn’t force Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito to sign the contracts to fight at a catch-weight against Pacquiao. Nothing can take away Manny’s accomplishments in boxing but his fans and pro media have to stop creating new ones.
I challenge anyone to try and prove me wrong and please don’t bring the lineal titles (not a sanctioned World titles) or the newly created special WBC belts that were awarded for Pacquiao’s fights against Brandon Rios or Juan Manuel Marquez 3 or any of the little known minor titles that exists only for their fees. I will be the first one to admit I am wrong if you find a fight at 126 or 140 that was for the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO.
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