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A look at six pivotal fights in Manny Pacquiao's career:
Pro Fight No. 28
Opponent: Medgoen Singsurat (18-0)
Date/Site: Sept. 17, 1999; Nakhon Si Tham...
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A look at six pivotal fights in Manny Pacquiao's career:
Pro Fight No. 28
Opponent: Medgoen Singsurat (18-0)
Date/Site: Sept. 17, 1999; Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
Result: Singsurat by TKO in 3
Why it matters: Turning pro at 106 pounds at age 16, Pacquiao steamrolled opponents with blazing speed and left-handed power that hurt like a bigger man's.
Sometimes, though, he lacked focus or got careless. In his first five years, he lost twice. In his 12th fight, he was trailing fellow Filipino Rustico Torrecampo in Round 3 when Torrecampo knocked Pacquiao down and out -- in a collision that seemed to combine a low blow and a head butt. (The TV announcer said Pacquiao's eyes were crossed when he revived.) Neither the referee nor Pacquiao knew what hit him, and he swallowed his first defeat. In his second loss, he was listless versus undefeated Medgoen Singsurat. By Round 2, the undefeated Thai was pounding Pacquiao on the ropes, and Singsurat ripped a body shot in the third that put Pacquiao down for good. Pacquiao had been struggling to make weight, and that was his last fight at 112 pounds.
Pro Fight No. 32
Opponent: Nedal Hussein (18-0)
Date/Site: Oct. 14, 2000; Antipolo City, Philippines
Result: Pacquiao by TKO in 10
Why it matters: Unbeaten Australian junior featherweight Nedal Hussein tested Pacquiao in every way. He punched on the break and banged on Pacquiao with his forearms, shoulders and head. But it was a clean, straight left in Round 4 that sent Pacquiao to the canvas. After an eight count, Hussein clumsily tried to finish. He forearmed Pacquiao's head back so far that referee Carlos Padilla penalized Hussein one point. Pacquiao took the moment to recover, and by the next round he was landing hard combinations. He opened a bad gash on Hussein's left cheek, and in Round 10, with an exhausted Pacquiao leading on all scorecards, the ring doctor's advice ended the fight.
That wasn't the only time Pacquiao had to come back from a knockdown. In 2003, Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov of Kazakhstan nailed Pacquiao with a countering right in Round 4 of their bout. The next round, Pacquiao answered back with two knockdowns, and it was all over.
Pro Fight No. 35
Opponent: Lehlohonolo Ledwaba (33-1-1)
Date/Site: June 23, 2001; Las Vegas
Result: Pacquiao by TKO in 6
Why it matters: It was Pacquiao's first fight in the United States, and his debut on HBO. He had a new trainer, Freddie Roach, and had accepted this challenge for the IBF super bantamweight title on two weeks' notice.
No matter: He destroyed the skilled champ Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. They traded jabs to start, but Pacquiao's power shots were faster and harder. He bloodied Ledwaba's nose in Round 1 and closed the distance, flooring him with a tight left in Round 2. Thudding shots wobbled Ledwaba before the closing bells to punctuate Rounds 4 and 5. A straight left to the South African's chin put him down again near the start of the sixth.
When a Pacquiao barrage sent Ledwaba down one more time, referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight, and Ledwaba, bloody and battered, decided to stay on his back for a few minutes to recover as the celebration of a new champion surrounded him.
Pro Fight No. 41
Opponent: Marco Antonio Barrera (57-3)
Date/Site: Nov. 15, 2003; San Antonio
Result: Pacquiao by TKO in 11
Why it matters: Fighting the legendary Marco Antonio Barrera was a gargantuan step up. And when Pacquiao hit the floor in Round 1 -- he was off balance as both fighters swung, and referee Laurence Cole ruled it a knockdown -- some figured Barrera would end it early. But soon it seemed Barrera had been ambushed. In Round 2, Pacquiao landed 31 power shots and made mocking gestures as he flashed superior hand speed. He winged five-punch combinations that cleared out Barrera's defense to make way for his left. A left to Barrera's jaw put him down in Round 3. A head butt in Round 7 sent blood down Barrera's face to add a grim visual to the beatdown. Pacquiao floored Barrera in the 11th and as he closed in ferociously, Barrera's corner threw in the towel. The 2007 rematch was like a 45 rpm record of the first fight played back in 33 1/3. The slower tempo helped Barrera survive, but the tune was unchanged, and Pacquiao won by decision.
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