Manny ‘Pac-Man’ Pacquiao is undoubtedly one of the greatest boxers during the long rich history of the sport.
Pacquiao made his professional debut in January 1995 when he was just 16 years old. He won his first major world championship in December 1998 when he was just a few weeks shy of turning 20. That was when he beat Chatchai Sasakul by stoppage to win the WBC flyweight championship (112 pounds). This was just the first major championship, but Pacquiao would go on to win many world championships spanning across 8 different weight classes. To date, Pacquiao remains the only boxer in history to win major titles in eight different divisions.
Pacquiao has many high profile victories during his long and illustrious career, including wins against Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, and Miguel Cotto just to name a few of the greatest opponents Pacquiao defeated in his boxing career.
After suffering back-to-back losses in 2012 against Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, it was apparent that Pacquiao’s best days were behind him. In 2015 Pacquiao finally faced long time rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. By the time the fight finally happened, Mayweather and Pacquiao were well past their best. But Mayweather had a lot more left in the tank and he thoroughly outclassed Pacquiao to win a unanimous decision. This seemed like a fitting time for Pacquiao to retire, but the Pac-Man continued boxing, and he continued having success, despite no longer being the same powerhouse force he had once been.
In July of last year, at age 40, Pacquiao turned back the clock and won a split decision victory against then undefeated WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman. Pacquiao became the new WBA welterweight champion. With that distinction, Pacquiao became the only four-time champion in welterweight history, and he likewise became the oldest boxer to ever win a major world title in that weight class.
There have been several boxers who have had success at the championship level into their 40s. The most notable among those include George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins, and Archie Moore. Now that Pacquiao is 41 years old, can he continue having success at the highest level like those three legends?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will provide some opinions on Manny Pacquiao’s career as well as the prospects of him continuing to box effectively at the highest level that he is now in his 40s.