By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Manny Pacquiao’s achievements in the sport of boxing will forever be immortalized after he was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame on December 6, 2024.
With another huge feat in his stellar boxing career, Pacquiao will join his former coach and trainer, Freddie Roach, after the legendary ringside tactician was inducted into the 2012 Class.
“I am so happy that I have been selected to enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame; this certainly is a wonderful Christmas gift,” Pacquiao said in a statement released by the IBHOF.
Pacquiao will be officially inducted along with the sport’s legendary figures from June 5 to 8, 2025, to be held in Canastota, New York.
“Throughout my career, as a professional fighter and a public servant, it has been my goal to bring honor to my country, The Philippines, and my fellow Filipinos around the world,” Pacquiao added.
Three years ago, Pacquiao officially hung up his gloves, leaving the sport of boxing as one of the most exciting fighters to ever set foot inside the ring.
At the age of 14, Pacquiao already began his search for boxing success after joining several boxing tournaments in hopes of sustaining his family’s needs.
Little did the world know that the young and enthusiastic boxer would dominate the sport, capturing his first-ever championship title in 1998 when he defeated Thailand’s Chatchai Sasakul for the World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight belt.
However, the biggest break in his professional boxing career came three years after when he stepped up as a late replacement against former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super bantamaweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba.
Despite accepting the title fight on two weeks’ notice, Pacquiao completed a stunning upset on Ledwaba after scoring a technical knockout victory to clinch his second major championship belt.
The Filipino boxing superstar capped off his illustrious career with several huge wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Oscar Larios, Jorge Solis, David Diaz, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley, Tim Bradley, Brandon Rios, Chris Algieri, Adrien Broner, and Keith Thurman.
He is the only man in boxing to win multiple belts in eight different divisions, welterweight, featherweight, junior welterweight, junior middleweight, junior featherweight, lightweight, flyweight, and junior lightweight.
