Ranking Pacquiao's 8 division titles
As Hall of Fame legend exits retirement to challenge for another welterweight belt, how do his weight class championships stack up?
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No fighter in history has won world titles in more weight classes than Manny Pacquiao. The Filipino legend has done it in eight divisions, either major sanctioning body titles or the lineal title — a remarkable feat for a fighter who turned pro at 106 pounds in 1995, won his first title at 112 pounds in 1998, and eventually won a 154-pound belt (even though he weighed only 144.6 for the fight) in 2010.
Pacquiao could have won titles in 10 of boxing’s 17 widely recognized weight classes but he never campaigned at junior bantamweight or bantamweight. Instead he skipped over them and won his second title at junior featherweight.
So, as Pacquiao, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in June, exits a four-year retirement at age 46 to challenge WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios on Saturday (Prime Video PPV and PPV.COM, 8 p.m. ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas how do Pacquiao's title victories in each weight class stack up? I ranked the eight title wins and have gotten Pacquiao’s take on each historic victory. Here we go, countdown style:
8. Junior lightweight: W12 Juan Manuel Marquez
Title: Lineal/WBC
When: March 15, 2008
Where: Las Vegas
Rafael’s take: Meeting for the second time, Pacquiao barely edged Marquez by split decision in perhaps the most controversial result of their four-fight series. Like all of their fights it was a tremendous battle but Pacquiao was lucky to escape with the victory in what was his poorest performance in a title-winning bout. He did drop Marquez with a left hand in the third round, which ultimately cost Marquez a draw. My score at ringside was 114-113 for Marquez.
Pacquiao’s take: “It was a good fight. I always believed I would beat Juan Manuel Marquez. There were no surprises in that fight. He fought the same way he always fought.”
