Emmanuel Dapidran «Manny» Pacquiao is a famous professional boxer, born in the Philippines, who has not only become the most famous representative of his country in the world but also one of the best boxers in history. Now, Manny Pacquiao holds championship belts in eight weight categories, he is the «Boxer of 2006, 2008, 2009», «Boxer of the Decade» according to the Boxing Writers Association, and the 2009 athlete of the year according to the American Academy of Sports. However, the path of this remarkable athlete to all these prestigious titles was not easy, and the story of his life deserves a separate account.
Manny Pacquiao was born into a poor Filipino family on December 17, 1978 and was the fourth of six children. From childhood, Manny was passionate about boxing and loved to box on the streets of his hometown in front of an interested audience. This activity was very displeasing to the future champion's mother, who dreamed that he would become a priest. Moreover, Manny sometimes got so carried away with street boxing that he would be late for school.
However, in a short time, Manny Pacquiao's life took a sharp turn for the worse after their father left the family when he was 13 years old. After this event, the boy had to forget about school altogether in order to start selling goods on the streets of the city. Manny was forced to work during the day, while he continued to devote his nights to his favorite activity – boxing. In his spare time, he boxed so passionately that he soon began to perform in local rings and even receive 100 pesos for each fight. These funds (about $2 US) were enough for 25 kg of rice, which allowed Manny's mother to let him stop trading on the streets.
A Crucial Decision
One of the key decisions in his life, Manny Pacquiao made very early – at the age of 14, he secretly went to the Philippine capital, Manila, to pursue professional boxing. However, he first had to work as a metal cutter at a local landfill in order to step into the boxing ring during the only free time – at night. At night, Manny trained and slept in the capital's sports hall due to a lack of money for housing. Much later, having become a famous boxer, he would buy this sports hall to open his own school there. In his time, Wladimir Klitschko started at the Olympic Reserve School in Brovary.
Only after two years, the owner of the sports club finally decides to send 16-year-old Manny Pacquiao to a boxing show on TV. Here, the young boxer had the opportunity to fully demonstrate his character. Back then, he fought, perhaps more than he boxed, but life forced him to do so, as the money he earned in the ring was needed for the education of his sisters and brothers. The Asian boxing school became an important stage in Pacquiao's professional growth, as it allowed him to win his first titles here, and later continue his career in the United States.
It was in the United States that the technique of the future champion changed significantly for the better, but he had to work hard for it. American coaches were not eager to work with an unknown Filipino in their country and simply refused to cooperate. Manny Pacquiao's life changed when he met coach Mickey Rourke – Freddie Roach. After watching the Filipino's sparring for just a few minutes, he realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary boxing talent. And since then, they started working together.
In the future, Manny Pacquiao will have many championship belts, titles, and the title of best boxer in the world, regardless of the weight category, according to the most authoritative boxing magazine - «The Ring». But all this was the result of the strongest persistence, iron will, and great talent, which made Manny Pacquiao one of the brightest and most famous boxers in the history of the sport.
