Manny Pacquiao is done, when he says he’s done
At the age of 45 years old, Manny Pacquiao still has aura.
Some who grew up watching the former eight-division boxing champion in his prime might still prefer to say “malakas ang dating.”
Regardless of the difference in generational lingo, there’s no denying the energy that radiates from being a sporting superstar still manifests with each step the legendary Filipino icon takes.
Each one of those steps come at a hurried pace trailed by a few others during a warm morning in General Santos. One of them is holding speakers blasting Tagalog RNB for today’s music of choice. Pacquiao is accompanied by his inner circle for morning runs which have once again become common – this time, however, he’s running from inside his estate – as he prepares for his upcoming exhibition bout against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo in Japan on July 28. This adversary is at least seven inches taller than Manny with the velocity of youth on his side. If his Filipino counterpart is worried, it’s most certainly not appearing on his face a little over a week before the fight.
The southpaw has built a legacy solid enough where he could still be in bed at this very moment, enjoying the succulent fruits of his years of labor instead.
And succulent they truly are.
It just so happens that “hanging it up” doesn’t seem to be in his DNA. At least not yet. Maybe not ever.
“When you’re gone, people will not remember you if you didn’t leave a legacy,” Pacquiao would tell ALL-STAR Magazine a little later.
If he packed up his bags right now and disappeared to a beautiful island in some random corner of the world for the rest of his years, that legacy would remain intact, if not magnified. Once upon a time only a holiday would keep every Filipino glued to their television screens at home like a Pacquiao fight day would. There would be jokes that even criminals took days off, and one could take a selfie while standing in the middle of EDSA.
“Boxing is always in my heart and I always love boxing,” Pacquiao says as he smirks. It’s even more playful that the mischievous smile he shows during brief moments of a 12-round fight when he had a vulnerable opponent on the ropes, moment away from a knockout.
After all, isn’t the point of being alive to do what we love? Even if that means doing it again and again?
A few hours after finishing an hour of running and nearly a thousand sit-ups in different variations, Pacquiao is at the Pacman Wildcard Gym boxing ring, reading the punches and attacking the openings of an imaginary opponent. His grunts echo loudly, the intensity of a man on a mission on full display.
Countless eyes track his every move inside the ring. Business associates talk with possible collaborators. Visitors using the weight room peer every now and then in between sets to catch even a glimpse of the lightning quickness Pacquiao still moves with. Controlled aggression. Each punch landing on the mitts of longtime trainer Buboy Fernandez is accurate and ferocious. Take a few minutes to observe just the way Manny moves his feet in beautiful synchronicity and it’s akin to watching the most gracious ballet performers.
Is it really 2024 already?
“My preparation is still the same. Workout, jogging, techniques. Although an MMA fighter is different from a boxer, I have to adjust a little bit to my body condition because I’m not young anymore,” he admits during our sit-down conversation.
The exhibition match against Anpo isn’t your typical 12 rounds of battle even if it presents a unique challenge in terms of skillset. Pacquiao doesn’t need to push his body to limits only few humans are capable of doing so on a regular basis anymore. Physical preparation, however, is less than half the battle. There’s a saying that, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Planning for an opponent’s specific capabilities can separate a boxer from a champion.
“In boxing, for me 40% is physical and 60% is mental. You have to study your opponent. You have to study the style of your opponent,” Pacman preaches.
“Any strategy, techniques, footwork, head movement, you can study that and develop in training. All boxers can do that. How about the mental? Mentally, are you prepared? What’s the strategy?”
Pacquiao visualizes the opponent he’s about to face every night before getting his eight hours of sleep, trying to diagram every move they make in a mind which works like a computer when analyzing what goes on in between the four corners of a ring. Are they bigger? Stronger? Is speed the answer? Will they see a jab from here, or a straight from there, or a hook from this certain angle? How about that killer left that has sent other legends to the canvass in so many occasions?
On most days Pacquiao says he feels like he’s just about to enter his 30s. He hasn’t fought professionally since 2021 but trains consistently, as if a fight is always in the horizon. He would prepare for official bouts two months before match day in the early years of his career. Gearing himself up now requires a longer runway – the undeniable reality of Father Time – although not daunting enough to rule championship aspirations out of the picture.
“In terms of accomplishments, I am so happy and I enjoy what I’ve done in boxing. I just want to continue as long as I can fight,” Pacquiao says.
“Right now, my dream in life is to make a legacy not only in boxing but also being a person. The legacy you can leave to the next generation. Our lives here in this world are just passing by. Very short. [In] life you must maximize your effort and strength to leave a legacy until you’re still here in this world.”
The opening chapters of that legacy, at least in boxing, will highlight his 62 wins in 72 fights, including 39 knockouts. It will mention monumental victories over the likes of Oscar Dela Hoya, Erik Morales, Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton, Brandon Rios, and countless others. It will boast of award after another, such as being named ESPN’s best Asian athlete of the 21st century and BWAA’s Fighter of the Decade.
As he enters a different stage of his career, Pacquiao envisions his legacy to include the passing down of knowledge in his sport to the next generation. He doesn’t see the same burning passion in today’s up and comers which boxing hopefuls of his time needed to have, but that doesn’t mean champions can’t be made out of the new blood.
“That’s why I want to teach them and share my knowledge about boxing – how to prepare mentally, physically, and spiritually – and how to work out in proper preparation for a fight. The proper rules of boxing,” he explains.
“There are a lot of rules in boxing. You must obey even the smallest rules of boxing because if you don’t it might affect you later on in your career.”
Even at this stage of his career Many Pacquiao continues to aim for greatness. The book might be approaching the twilight chapters, but don’t tell him that. The fire inside him burns as rapidly as it ever has. In his constant pursuit of excellence in the sport, his spirit remains headstrong.
Who does Manny think would win in a fight between the versions of him we’ve seen? 90s, 2000s, 2010s, or 2020s Pacquiao?
He cocks his head back, looking at the heavens. What’s going on in that mind? Does he remember the heart-pounding moments? The grueling shots taken by his jaw? The unforgiving hours of training? The illustrious celebrations?
“2010s,” he finally says. “That was my prime. I was number one pound for pound back then in the world.”
He says it a certain way. One can’t help shake the feeling he stills considers himself the best of the best.