Manny Pacquiao, the only boxer in history to be world champion in eight different categories, was one of the protagonists of the World Sports Summit in Dubai. The pugilist, now a politician, reviewed his career and also pointed out who are the boxers for him at the moment. “I admire all the champions, but I would say that Joshua and Inoue are my favorites now.”
It is often said that “the street is the best school” as a cliche to magnify those who emerge from misery. Pacquiao was the paradigm of all. “I came from nothing. There were days when we had nothing to eat. I slept on the street. My little brother cried from hunger and it was very sad to see him. Someday I only consumed water to survive. My sport was basketball, but once there was a competition for money that you could sign up for and I started boxing. They gave you two dollars if you won; one if you lost. With that I could buy a bowl of rice,” he recalls.
There were days when we had nothing to eat. I slept on the street. My little brother cried from hunger and it was very sad to see him. Some days I only drank water to survive
He turned professional at a very young age. It was 1995. “I was 16 years old but there were political decisions in the team and even though I was winning they didn’t want to take me to the Atlanta Games. That’s when I said I wanted to be a professional. But I had to say I was 18 to be able to box because it was forbidden for 16-year-olds.So the promoter said, ‘Show me the birth certificate, but my place was far away and you could only get there by boat and I told them: I have it ordered, but it has not arrived yet. ‘Okay, we’ll give you a provisional license, but you have to bring us the birth certificate,’ they replied. I fought and won. When they saw me they said ‘You are very good’ and they forgot to ask me for the birth certificate again. Three years later I was already world champion. I could never imagine that two dollars would turn into millions in the future.”
His two fights
In the Oasis sector of the Jumeirah Arena, where the match takes place, Pacquiao is approachable. When asked about the best fight of his career, he mentions two. “Ricky Hatton’s, in 2009. I knocked him out in the second round. And also Oscar de la Hoya’s. After beating him I was able to make the jump to the 147-pound (super welterweight) category.”
And then he talks about his secrets to having achieved so much success. “My secret is God,” he says at first, but then he gives a more down-to-earth answer. “If you think about it, being a champion in eight categories seems impossible. I achieved it by studying and discovering new boxing techniques. I would say that boxing is one of the most difficult sports in the world. I dedicated myself to studying my opponents all the time. As if I had to take an exam at school. And I would look at the punches they threw routinely, those that came naturally to them. Also their movements, their style, but above all those that were the ones they repeated automatically. And I based my training on how to stop the opponent.”
If you think about it, being champion in eight categories seems impossible. I achieved it by studying and discovering new boxing techniques
Each category that he climbed, from flyweight – about 50 kg – to super welterweight – about 67 kg – was not only a matter of the scales. “Weight influences the speed of the punches, in the strength, it is not just to get fat and that’s it. You increase the strength of your punches, but you have to maintain the speed. It’s really difficult, really.”
Pacquiao: “I’m in politics to help the people”
One of the conditions his team sets in the interview with MARCA is not to talk about politics. However, in the panel prior to the meeting with this newspaper, he did address the issue: “I don’t like politics, I hate politicians, but I’m in it to help the public, to give free houses to those most in need and to be remembered in 200 years’ time”.
He finally refers to the legacy and mission he has in life. “The secret is God. When I understood the purpose of life, I changed. I’m one of the blessed ones because I’ve heard his voice inside me. When I heard it, I melted like ice and started to say ‘forgive me if I have sinned’ and I understood life: why we die, what is the legacy that I could leave to people for future generations and that will serve as inspiration,” concludes a guy who when he was boxing crime in his country was reduced to zero.
Read the full article here
