Manny Pacquiao Biography

Manny Pacquiao was born Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao on December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines, to Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionisia Dapidran-Pacquiao. He is his parents’ fourth child.

His parents divorced when he was in sixth grade at school.

Manny completed his elementary education at ‘Saavedra Saway Elementary School’ in General Santos City.

At the age of 14, Pacquiao moved to Manila where he became part of the Philippine national amateur boxing team. He has an amateur record of 60-4.

On January 22, 1995, Pacquiao made his professional debut in a four-round bout in the light flyweight division against Edmund "Enting" Ignacio and won.

His first major boxing honor came in December 1998, when he won a bout against Chatchai Sasakul of Thailand and earned the ‘World Boxing Council’ (WBC) flyweight title.

On June 23, 2001, Manny faced Lehlohonolo Ledwaba for the ‘International Boxing Federation’ (IBF) junior featherweight title and won by a technical knockout. This was his second major boxing title, which he defended four times.

On May 8, 2004, Manny faced Juan Manuel, the holder of WBA and IBF featherweight titles, in Las Vegas. This bout was scored a draw.

In June 2008, Manny fought for the WBC lightweight title and won the title by defeating David Diaz in the ninth round via knockout.

On December 6, 2008, he defeated Oscar De La Hoya, the six-division world champion, in the welterweight division.

In May 2009, he defeated Ricky Hatton and won The Ring’s junior welterweight title.

On November 14, 2009, in a fight termed ‘Firepower,’ Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto via technical knockout in the twelfth round at the ‘MGM Grand,’ Las Vegas, and won the WBO welterweight title.

On June 9, 2012, Manny Pacquiao faced Timothy Bradley to defend his WBO welterweight title in a 12-round fight. Bradley won the fight.

Manny Pacquiao faced Timothy Bradley again on April 12, 2014, at the ‘Grand Garden Arena’ in Nevada. This time, Pacquiao won and re-established himself as a strong fighter.

Pacquiao’s successful foray into politics happened on May 13, 2010, with him being proclaimed congressman of the Sarangani district. In the 2013 elections, he ran unopposed for his second term as a congressman.

Pacquiao became the oldest rookie to be drafted in the ‘Philippine Basketball Association’ when he was picked as the 11th overall in the first round of the 2014 PBA draft by ‘Kia’ basketball team.

In May 2016, the Commission of Elections announced Pacquiao as one of the winners of the Philippine Senate seat.

Pacquiao signed with Al Haymon's ‘Premier Boxing Champions’ (PBC) promotion in October 2018. In July 2019, he won the WBA (Super) welterweight title.

By winning the Lineal and The Ring featherweight championship, he became the first Asian and Filipino to be a three-division world champion.

Manny Pacquiao also became the first Filipino and Asian to become a five-division world champion and the first Filipino boxer to win a world title in the lightweight division.

On December 22, 2008, he was awarded the ‘Philippine Legion of Honor’ with the rank of Officer “for winning four world titles in different weight divisions and for being the best fighter in the world in his time.”

He was named ‘Fighter of the Decade’ (2000s) by the ‘Boxing Writers Association of America’ (BWAA), ‘World Boxing Council’ (WBC), and ‘World Boxing Organization’ (WBO).

Manny Pacquiao has received several awards, including the ‘Best Fighter ESPY Award’ (2009 & 2011), ‘PSA Sportsman of the Year’ (2000-2009), ‘WBO Fighter of the Year’ (2010), ‘ESPN Fighter of the Year’ (2006, 2008 & 2009) and ‘The Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year’ (2006, 2008 & 2009).

The 2009 and 2015 issues of ‘Forbes’ magazine named Pacquiao as the ‘World's Highest-Paid Athlete’ (ranked 6th and 2nd respectively). In 2009, he was also listed among the 100 most influential people by ‘TIME.’

In 2019, ‘Forbes’ magazine ranked Pacquiao as one of the ‘Highest-Paid Athletes of the Decade’ (ranked 8th).

Pacquiao is married to Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora, and they have five children: Emmanuel Jr. "Jimuel," Michael, Princess, Queen Elizabeth "Queenie," and Israel.

The couple now officially resides in Kiamba, Sarangani, Maria’s hometown.

In February 2007, he cleared a high school equivalency exam, which made him eligible for college education.

Pacquiao graduated from the ‘University of Makati’ in Makati City with a bachelor's degree in political science, majoring in local government administration, on December 11, 2019.

Manny Pacquiao is not only a skilled boxer, but also a talented singer and actor. He has released several albums and starred in multiple films in his native Philippines.

Pacquiao is known for his philanthropy work, having donated millions of dollars to various charities and causes, particularly in his home country.

Despite his success in boxing, Pacquiao is also a dedicated public servant, having served as a senator in the Philippines from 2016 to 2022.

Pacquiao is an avid basketball fan and player, owning a professional basketball team in the Philippines and even participating in a few exhibition games himself.