Pacquiao celebrates 15 years in boxing

WHILE Manny Pacquiao is busy cementing his legacy in boxing’s future, the Filipino is taking some time off to recall his humble past.

Pacquiao, who is fighting Joshua Clottey on March 13 in his first defense of his WBC 147-belt, recently marked his 15th year in the sport and recalled the similarities then and now.

Pacquiao debuted as a 16-year-old against Edmund Ignacio in the 106-pound division on Jan. 22, 1995 and once admitted he had to put on metal weights to be heavy enough to make the limit.

Now, he said he needs to eat a generous serving of food to make 147 pounds.

“Kinakailangan ko pa ring kumain ng bande-bandehadong kanin at pagkain upang hindi ako madehado sa timbang,” he wrote in his latest column at Philboxing.com.

Pacquiao won his first 11 fights before getting knocked out in three rounds by Rustico Torrecampo on Feb. 9, 1996.

He won his next fight two months later and started a string of 15 victories to win his first title.

Pacquiao said he never expected to be where he is now—the world’s no. 1 pound-for-pound.

“Even when I was a kid, I never dreamed of achieving this. I never imagined to win seven world titles in seven weight divisions or to be fighting the boxers I idolized while I was growing up,” Pacquiao wrote in Tagalog.

Pacquiao got to big time boxing with a win over Marco Antonio Barrera and eventually added Erik Morales, Oscar dela Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto to his resume.

Despite not having fought in the 130-pound limit in over two years, Pacquiao said he could still make it if he wants to.

“I can still fight in the 130-pound division, but it will really be a struggle,” Pacquiao wrote. “After I won the 135-pound title, I didn’t expect to win over Dela Hoya easily at 147 pounds and that I’d win the 140-pound title over Hatton.”