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| OSCAR DE LA HOYA VS. MANNY PACQUIAO T-SHIRTS!! ONLY $19.95 + SHIPPING |
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MANNY PACQUIAO HISTORY
Manny Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in
1995 at 106 lbs (Light flyweight) at the age of 16. His early
fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on
Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show. His
professional debut was a 4-round bout against Edmund Enting
Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via
decision, becoming an instant star of the program. Close friend
Mark Penaflorida's death in 1994 spurred young Pacquiao to
pursue a professional career.
His weight increased from 106 to 113 lbs before losing in his
12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round
knockout (KO). As sportscaster Joaquin "Quinito" Henson
observed, Pacquiao had not made weight. So he was forced
to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting
Pacquiao at a disadvantage.[5]
Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112
lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in
the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against
Medgoen Singsurat, or Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-
round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by
surpassing the required weight of 112 lbs (51 kg).
Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew,
this time stopping at the superbantamweight division of 122 lbs
(55 kg), where he picked up the WBC International Super
Bantamweight title, defending it five times before his next world
title fight came.
Pacquiao's big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF
Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba.
Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won
the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super
Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las
Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title eight times and fought
to a sixth-round draw against Agapito Sanchez in a bout that
was stopped early after Pacquiao received a headbutt.
Personal life
Manny is a very devout Roman Catholic. He wears a rosary
into the ring for every fight, and insists on having a crucifix
present in the gym where he trains. His parents are Rosalio and
Dionisia Pacquiao. His brother Bobby Pacquiao is also a
boxer. He is married to Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Pacquiao
with 3 children: Jimuel, Mike and Princess. His wife Jinkee is
currently pregnant with a baby girl.
Pacquiao's rise
Pacquiao went on to defend his title four times with expert
training from Adam Chambers and Daniel Cragg at Melton
Mowbray Boxercise, improving his hand speed and mental
preparation before the match that many consider to have
defined his career, a bout against the Mexican boxing idol
Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao, moving up in weight and in
his first fight ever in the featherweight division, brought his
power with him and defeated Barrera via a TKO in the 11th
round at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. Although this
fight was not recognized as a title fight by any sanctioning
bodies, Pacquiao was recognized as world champion by Ring
Magazine after his victory [6], and he held that title until
relinquishing it in 2005.
Only 6 months removed from his win over Barrera, Pacquiao
went on to challenge another respected Mexican
counterpuncher, Juan Manuel Márquez, then holder of the
World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing
Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles. The fight held at the
MGM Grand ended in a controversial draw after he knocked
down Márquez three times in the first round but lost most of
the latter rounds. One of the judges later admitted to making
an error in the scorecards because he scored the first round as
"10-7" in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard "10-6" for
a three-knockdown round.
In a bout held at Taguig City, Philippines, Pacquiao fought
against Fahsan (3K-Battery) Por Thawatchai. Pacquiao sent
3K-Battery to the canvas three times en route to a knockout in
the fourth round. A left uppercut to the jaw that lifted the Thai
fighter's feet off the canvas ended the fight.
Manny once again moved up another division from 126 to 130
lbs to fight another Mexican legend, three-time division
champion Érik Morales on March 19, 2005, at the MGM
Grand. However, this time around, at his first fight in the
superfeatherweight division, Pacquiao lost the 12-round match
by a unanimous decision from the judges.
On September 10, 2005, Manny Pacquiao knocked out
Héctor Velázquez, capturing the WBC International Super
Featherweight title in the process, in a fight held at Staples
Center, Los Angeles, California.
Pacquiao defeated Morales via a 10th-round TKO in a much-
anticipated rematch on January 22, 2006 in Las Vegas at
Thomas and Mack Center.
Newfound fame
After the Morales bout, Pacquiao was in the limelight again
during the first week of February 2006 when a waitress
working in a Manila nightclub claimed that he was the father of
her son, born out of a whirlwind affair with the boxer. The
boxer, allegedly, was giving the child financial support, which
was also kept secret from his wife, Jinkee, until she found out.
This caused a problem in their marriage, but things were
mended.[7]
Trainer Freddie Roach had previously voiced concerns about
the late- night lifestyle and warned that the boxer was in danger
of losing both his edge and focus. Roach noted that there are
too many distractions surrounding Pacquiao in the Philippines.
[8]
On July 2, 2006, Pacquiao defeated another Mexican, Oscar
Larios, a two-time superbantamweight champion who had
moved up two weight divisions in order to face Pacquiao.
Despite his camp's big promise of an early knockout, the fight
went until the final round, with Pacquiao knocking down the
Mexican two times during the 12-round bout for the WBC
International Super Featherweight title held at the Araneta
Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.[9]
In September 2006, Pacquiao signed a major deal with
Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), headed by Oscar de la Hoya,
which was good for seven fights.[10] This development was
confirmed by his coach Freddie Roach. Under the deal,
Pacquiao was guaranteed a prize money of US$5 million for
each fight. With regard to profits made on each fight, Pacquiao
would receive at least 90%, whereas the remaining 10% would
go to Golden Boy Promotions.
Pacquiao and Morales fought for a third time (with the series
tied 1-all) on November 18, 2006. Witnessed by a near-
record crowd of 18,276, the match saw Pacquiao defeating
Morales via a third-round knockout at the Thomas & Mack
Center in Las Vegas.[11]
After the Pacquiao-Morales rematch, Arum announced that
Manny returned his signing bonus check back to Golden Boy
Promotions, signaling intentions to stay with Top Rank. This
resulted in GBP's decision to sue the famed fighter over
contractual breaches.[12]
At the end of 2006, he was named by both HBO and Ring
Magazine as the fighter of the year, with HBO also naming him
as the most exciting fighter of the year.
After a failed promotional negotiation with Marco Antonio
Barrera's camp, Bob Arum chose Jorge Solis as his next
opponent among several fighters that Bob Arum offered him to
fight as a replacement. The bout was held in San Antonio on
April 14, 2007. In the sixth round of the bout, an accidental
headbutt occurred, giving Pacquiao a cut under his left
eyebrow. The fight ended in the eight round when Pacquiao
knocked Solis down twice; with Solis barely beating the count
after the second knockdown, the referee (who was also a
doctor) was prompted to stop the fight. The victory raised
Pacquiao's win-draw-loss record to 44-3-2, with 35 KOs.
On June 29, 2007, it was announced that Top Rank and GBP
agreed to settle their lawsuit, meaning the long-awaited
rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera will occur despite being
the number 1 contender for the super-featherweight title of
Juan Manuel Marquez.
Since Bob Arum was out on a vacation, GBP's chief executive
Richard Schaefer politely declined to discuss Pacquiao’s purse
from the October 6, 2007 rematch with Marco Antonio
Barrera (at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas). However, Pacquiao was likely to get a purse of $5
million, plus possibly a share of the pay-per-view rights.[13]
Pacquiao defeated Barrera in their rematch via an easy
unanimous decision. In the 11th round, Pacquiao's punch
caused a deep cut under Barrera's right eye. Barrera retaliated
with an illegal punch on the break that dazed Pacquiao but also
caused the referee to deduct a point from Barrera. Two judges
scored the bout 118-109, whereas the third scored it 115-112.
[14]
In The Ring magazine, Pacquiao (45-3-2) remained at the top
of the junior lightweight division (130 lbs). He had been in the
ratings for 108 weeks. Pacquiao was also at No. 2 in the
pound-for-pound category behind welterweight champ Floyd
Mayweather.[15][16]
On November 13, 2007, he was honored by the WBC as
Champ Emeritus during its 45th Annual World Convention
held at the Manila Hotel.[17]
On November 18, 2007, the Manila Bulletin Online edition
reported a possible bout between Pacquiao and Oscar de la
Hoya. Although it remains to be seen whether it will come to
fruition, the prevailing scenario will have Pacquiao battle
against David Diaz, the WBC's current reigning lightweight
titlist.[18]
On November 20, 2007, Jose Nunez, manager for WBO
Superfeatherweight Champion Joan Guzman, accused
Pacquiao's handler Bob Arum of evading a match between the
two boxers to protect Pacquiao.[19] Guzman went as far as to
directly call out Pacquiao at the postfight press conference of
the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch in front of a stunned crowd at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center's media room in Las Vegas.
[20]
The 240-member House of Representatives of the Philippines,
on August 7, 2008, issued a Resolution, sponsored by South
Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, which recognized
Pacquiao as a “people’s champ” - for his “achievements and in
appreciation of the honor and inspiration he has been bringing
... to the Filipino people.” He received a plaque from Speaker
Prospero Nograles.[21][22]
On July, 2008, it was announced that Pacquiao would be the
flag bearer of the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
[23] He became the first Filipino athlete, non-Olympics
competitor, to be the Team Philippines’ flag-bearer during the
August 8 opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics
at Bird’s Nest, Olympic stadium. Swimmer Miguel Molina,
Southeast Asia Games’ Best Male Athlete, yielded the honor
to Pacquiao, upon Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's request to
national sports officials on the Philippines at the 2008 Summer
Olympics.[24]
Super Featherweight title
On March 15, 2008, in a rematch against Juan Manuel
Marquez, Pacquiao won via a highly disputed split decision.
Pacquiao won the WBC and The Ring superfeatherweight
belts, making him the first Filipino to win three world titles in
three different weight divisions (Pacquiao was a former WBC
Flyweight Champion, IBF Super bantamweight, and now
WBC Super featherweight). The fight was controversial, with
some boxing analysts saying Marquez should have been the
winner.
During the postfight interview, Marquez’s camp called for an
immediate rematch. Richard Schaefer, GBP CEO, offered a
$6-million guarantee to Pacquiao for a rematch. Pacquiao's
promoter, Bob Arum, still stinging from the less-than-stellar
revenue from Kelly Pavlik’s immediate rematch with Jermain
Taylor, said the fight will probably happen but only after there
is time to “put a little air under it.” Pacquiao, for his part, said
"I don't think so, this business is over" because he planned to
move to lightweight (135 lbs) to challenge David Diaz, the
reigning WBC Lightweight Champion at the time. Diaz won a
majority decision over Ramon Montano that night as an
undercard of "Unfinished Business."
WBC Lightweight title
On June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in
Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated David Díaz via ninth-round
knockout to become the WBC lightweight champion. With the
victory, Pacquiao became the only Asian boxer to win four
major titles in four weight classes and also became the first
Filipino fighter to ever win a world title at lightweight.[25][26]
The fight ended at 2:23 of the ninth round and was viewed by
8,362 spectators. Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao is most
likely to fight November 15[27] versus 130-lb Venezuelan
champion Edwin Valero or Humberto Soto in Planet
Hollywood, and he also mentioned the name of WBA, WBO,
and IBF lightweight champ Nate Campbell. "I can fight in
November," Pacquiao stated, "Who I fight is the job of my
promoter (Bob Arum)." Diaz had his best payday, $850,000,
and Pacquiao earned at least $3 million.[28][29]
Bob Arum reported that the Pacquiao-David Diaz fight which
made $ 12.5-M (250,000 pay-per-view hits at $ 49.95 per
hit), paled in comparison to the 400,000 in the Marquez
showdown. The sales reached over $20 million. Pacquiao’s 3
classic fights with Erik Morales earned a combined sales of 1
million pay-per-view hits. After HBO and Top Rank get their
share, Pacquiao and Diaz will get theirs based on the contract,
that is, in addition to the $ 3 million contract pay. Official
records revealed an attendance of only 8,362 tickets of the
seating capacity of 12,000.[30]
Meanwhile, WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman clarified that
Pacquiao is not a 5-division but 4-division world champion,
because the November 2003 Barrera fight was a non-title bout.
[31]
Holding both the WBC Super Featherweight and Lightweight
Titles following the win, Pacquiao decided to vacate his super
featherweight title in July 2008 in order to defend his
lightweight crown.[32]
"The Dream Match"
Pacquiao is scheduled to face Oscar De La Hoya on
Saturday, December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the
bout will be a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-
pound welterweight limit. Although Pacquiao goes into the fight
widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the
world, some boxing pundits have speculated that 147 pounds
could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De
La Hoya.[33]
Many boxing analysts believe the fight will favor De La Hoya,
and consider the fight a mismatch due to De La Hoya's size
advantage. Bets have already been taken with De La Hoya as
the heavy favourite. Training for the mega fight Oscar hired
legendary trainers Angelo Dundee, Nacho Beristain, and
young boxing talent Edwin Valero. Oscar told the news that his
team is unbeatable, while Freddie Roach said, "No one is
going to be able to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces
Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6". While the odds are still with
Oscar the mega fight will be still fight of the year and possibly
break pay per view records in boxing history.
Pacquiao will receive $15 to 30 million (share of the pay-per-
view), plus a guaranteed amount.[34]
Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale.
The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $17 million
dollars. That amount would give the bout has the second
largest gate revenue in boxing history (after the De La Hoya-
Mayweather Jr. fight in May 5, 2007 which generated $18.4
million in gate revenue).[35]
Pacquiao in popular culture
A movie based on Pacquiao's life was released on June 21,
2006. The movie is titled Pacquiao: The Movie featuring
Filipino actor Jericho Rosales as Manny Pacquiao and is
directed by Joel Lamangan.[36] The movie flopped at the box
office, grossing a total of only P4,812,191 ($99,322), as
confirmed by Lamangan. Pacquiao is featured in the boxing
video games Fight Night: Round 2, Fight Night: Round 3, and
Fight Night Round 4. He became the first Filipino athlete to
appear on a postage stamp.[37]
Politics
Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat to represent the 1st
district of South Cotabato, but he was defeated by Darlene
Antonino-Custodio. Custodio had 139,061 votes, whereas
Pacquiao received 75,908 votes.[38]
Pacquiao has said he will enter politics after he ends his boxing
career. He quietly visited the Philippine Commission on
Elections, escorted by Arnold "Ali" Atienza (son of then
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza), to transfer his residence from
General Santos City to Manila.[citation needed] This fueled
speculations that he may seek an elective post in the nation's
capital, which even gave him the title "Adopted Son" after he
won his earlier bouts.
His name was once mentioned as a possible vice-mayoralty
candidate to the younger Atienza when the latter sought the
city's highest post in the 2007 elections, but this did not pan
out after Sen. Panfilo Lacson, then the leading candidate for
Manila mayor, did the same after there were contentions
regarding residency issues. (Similarly, Pacquiao also had such
issues).
Being known as an Arroyo supporter, his name is also being
floated as a candidate of the Lakas-CMD party for the
mayoralty race of General Santos City against incumbent
Mayor Pedro Acharon. Instead, he was recently sworn-in as a
member of the Liberal Party under the Atienza wing, thus
further fueling his political ambition.
On February 12, 2007, the famed boxer announced that he
was running for congress representing South Cotabato.[39]
His decision however easily turned off both his fans and the
general public.[40] Election experts stressed that as Pacquiao
insists on participating in his next professional boxing match, he
will immerse himself into a legal conflict regarding campaign
exposure, especially since the match will be televised
nationwide. Aside from that, COMELEC commissioner
Benjamin Abalos mentioned a possible legal entanglement
could ruin Pacquiao's candidacy because he already registered
himself as a Manila resident months before.
Numerous sports personalities and analysts around the
Philippines expressed that Pacquiao should think seriously and
deeply about his sports career, which could potentially be
destroyed by the dirty world of politics. On February 24,
2007, in Cebu City, Pacquiao, for the first time ever, was
booed by thousands of spectators as his presence was
acknowledged by the organizers of The Battle of Cebu, a
WBO-sanctioned boxing festival.[41][42][43][44][45] The
embarrassment later led to confusing statements made by
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza[46] that the famed fighter would
withdraw. Despite the statements, however, Pacquiao
confirmed to the public that he would still run for office.
[citation needed] The negative sentiment among Cebuanos
over Pacquiao's political aspiration was felt even before the
"The Battle of Cebu" was held because at least one citizen's
comment got published by local newspaper Sun Star.[47]
In relation to the April 14 fight with Arce, the political
opposition stated that they would not press for a ban on the
broadcasting of the match despite its potential to violate
election campaign rules.[48] Although he won over Solis,
Pacquiao's appeal diminished most likely due to his political
ambition. His last fight attracted noticeably smaller audiences,
and his performance was considered by many as disappointing.
[49][50] Some election candidates even turned the Pacquiao-
Solis match into campaign gigs.[51] Over at General Santos
City, Diocese of Marbel spokesman Fr. Angel Buenavides
considered President Arroyo's endorsement of Pacquiao as a
"curse" because constituents in the area have strong anti-
Arroyo sentiments.[52]
On May 17, 2007, Pacquiao suffered a lopsided election
defeat to incumbent representative Darlene Antonino-
Custodio, with a deficit of approximately 37,000 votes
according to the NAMFREL tally. Meanwhile, WBC head
Jose Sulaiman stated that Pacquiao "doesn’t appear to be
having the same dynamic impact at the ballot box, as he does
in the ringed square."[53] The defeat became a depressing
matter for the boxer himself because he lost a huge sum of
money when his supporters allegedly funneled campaign funds
to their own pockets. Pacquiao's personal money was part of
the campaign budget.[54] Ironically, Pacquiao's fans rejoiced
over his defeat.[55] Some even declared his loss as a "victory"
for boxing. On May 20, 2007, Manny Pacquiao formally
conceded to his congresswoman Antonino-Custodio, vowing
to return to boxing and spend more time with his family.[56]
[57][58]
In August 2007, Pacquiao filed a P30-million libel suit against
four journalists of the Manila Bulletin due to an article which
stated that he "is reported to be a compulsive gambler and is
known to bet hundreds of thousand in casinos, cockfighting,
and billiards."[59] The case was later dismissed via "affidavit of
desistance", and Pacquiao stated that pursuing the case would
only cause inconvenience to him and his family.[60]
On September 1, 2008, Pacquiao was sworn by Secretary
Ronaldo Puno, as member of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
(Kampi). Pacquiao officially announced that he is retiring in
August 2009, and will be running again in the Philippine general
election, 2010.[61][62]
Other media
With his popularity, various business sectors have solicited
Manny Pacquiao's help in endorsing their products through
commercial advertisements in print and in broadcast media.
These include detergents, medicines, foods, garments,
telecommunications, and even a political ad for Chavit Singson
during the May 14, 2007 elections.
On April 12, 2007, the COMELEC cancelled his commercial
appearances in accordance with existing Philippine election
laws. Airing of the commercials resumed after the elections.
In September 2007, he signed up with GMA Network as an
actor.
On December 17, 2007, after finishing a movie, "Anak ng
Kumander", Pacman went to the GMA Network to tape his
first episode of Pinoy Records.[63]
Manny Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in
1995 at 106 lbs (Light flyweight) at the age of 16. His early
fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on
Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow, an evening boxing show. His
professional debut was a 4-round bout against Edmund Enting
Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via
decision, becoming an instant star of the program. Close friend
Mark Penaflorida's death in 1994 spurred young Pacquiao to
pursue a professional career.
His weight increased from 106 to 113 lbs before losing in his
12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round
knockout (KO). As sportscaster Joaquin "Quinito" Henson
observed, Pacquiao had not made weight. So he was forced
to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting
Pacquiao at a disadvantage.[5]
Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112
lbs, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in
the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against
Medgoen Singsurat, or Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-
round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by
surpassing the required weight of 112 lbs (51 kg).
Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew,
this time stopping at the superbantamweight division of 122 lbs
(55 kg), where he picked up the WBC International Super
Bantamweight title, defending it five times before his next world
title fight came.
Pacquiao's big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF
Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba.
Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won
the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super
Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las
Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title eight times and fought
to a sixth-round draw against Agapito Sanchez in a bout that
was stopped early after Pacquiao received a headbutt.
Personal life
Manny is a very devout Roman Catholic. He wears a rosary
into the ring for every fight, and insists on having a crucifix
present in the gym where he trains. His parents are Rosalio and
Dionisia Pacquiao. His brother Bobby Pacquiao is also a
boxer. He is married to Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Pacquiao
with 3 children: Jimuel, Mike and Princess. His wife Jinkee is
currently pregnant with a baby girl.
Pacquiao's rise
Pacquiao went on to defend his title four times with expert
training from Adam Chambers and Daniel Cragg at Melton
Mowbray Boxercise, improving his hand speed and mental
preparation before the match that many consider to have
defined his career, a bout against the Mexican boxing idol
Marco Antonio Barrera. Pacquiao, moving up in weight and in
his first fight ever in the featherweight division, brought his
power with him and defeated Barrera via a TKO in the 11th
round at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas. Although this
fight was not recognized as a title fight by any sanctioning
bodies, Pacquiao was recognized as world champion by Ring
Magazine after his victory [6], and he held that title until
relinquishing it in 2005.
Only 6 months removed from his win over Barrera, Pacquiao
went on to challenge another respected Mexican
counterpuncher, Juan Manuel Márquez, then holder of the
World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing
Federation (IBF) Featherweight titles. The fight held at the
MGM Grand ended in a controversial draw after he knocked
down Márquez three times in the first round but lost most of
the latter rounds. One of the judges later admitted to making
an error in the scorecards because he scored the first round as
"10-7" in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard "10-6" for
a three-knockdown round.
In a bout held at Taguig City, Philippines, Pacquiao fought
against Fahsan (3K-Battery) Por Thawatchai. Pacquiao sent
3K-Battery to the canvas three times en route to a knockout in
the fourth round. A left uppercut to the jaw that lifted the Thai
fighter's feet off the canvas ended the fight.
Manny once again moved up another division from 126 to 130
lbs to fight another Mexican legend, three-time division
champion Érik Morales on March 19, 2005, at the MGM
Grand. However, this time around, at his first fight in the
superfeatherweight division, Pacquiao lost the 12-round match
by a unanimous decision from the judges.
On September 10, 2005, Manny Pacquiao knocked out
Héctor Velázquez, capturing the WBC International Super
Featherweight title in the process, in a fight held at Staples
Center, Los Angeles, California.
Pacquiao defeated Morales via a 10th-round TKO in a much-
anticipated rematch on January 22, 2006 in Las Vegas at
Thomas and Mack Center.
Newfound fame
After the Morales bout, Pacquiao was in the limelight again
during the first week of February 2006 when a waitress
working in a Manila nightclub claimed that he was the father of
her son, born out of a whirlwind affair with the boxer. The
boxer, allegedly, was giving the child financial support, which
was also kept secret from his wife, Jinkee, until she found out.
This caused a problem in their marriage, but things were
mended.[7]
Trainer Freddie Roach had previously voiced concerns about
the late- night lifestyle and warned that the boxer was in danger
of losing both his edge and focus. Roach noted that there are
too many distractions surrounding Pacquiao in the Philippines.
[8]
On July 2, 2006, Pacquiao defeated another Mexican, Oscar
Larios, a two-time superbantamweight champion who had
moved up two weight divisions in order to face Pacquiao.
Despite his camp's big promise of an early knockout, the fight
went until the final round, with Pacquiao knocking down the
Mexican two times during the 12-round bout for the WBC
International Super Featherweight title held at the Araneta
Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.[9]
In September 2006, Pacquiao signed a major deal with
Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), headed by Oscar de la Hoya,
which was good for seven fights.[10] This development was
confirmed by his coach Freddie Roach. Under the deal,
Pacquiao was guaranteed a prize money of US$5 million for
each fight. With regard to profits made on each fight, Pacquiao
would receive at least 90%, whereas the remaining 10% would
go to Golden Boy Promotions.
Pacquiao and Morales fought for a third time (with the series
tied 1-all) on November 18, 2006. Witnessed by a near-
record crowd of 18,276, the match saw Pacquiao defeating
Morales via a third-round knockout at the Thomas & Mack
Center in Las Vegas.[11]
After the Pacquiao-Morales rematch, Arum announced that
Manny returned his signing bonus check back to Golden Boy
Promotions, signaling intentions to stay with Top Rank. This
resulted in GBP's decision to sue the famed fighter over
contractual breaches.[12]
At the end of 2006, he was named by both HBO and Ring
Magazine as the fighter of the year, with HBO also naming him
as the most exciting fighter of the year.
After a failed promotional negotiation with Marco Antonio
Barrera's camp, Bob Arum chose Jorge Solis as his next
opponent among several fighters that Bob Arum offered him to
fight as a replacement. The bout was held in San Antonio on
April 14, 2007. In the sixth round of the bout, an accidental
headbutt occurred, giving Pacquiao a cut under his left
eyebrow. The fight ended in the eight round when Pacquiao
knocked Solis down twice; with Solis barely beating the count
after the second knockdown, the referee (who was also a
doctor) was prompted to stop the fight. The victory raised
Pacquiao's win-draw-loss record to 44-3-2, with 35 KOs.
On June 29, 2007, it was announced that Top Rank and GBP
agreed to settle their lawsuit, meaning the long-awaited
rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera will occur despite being
the number 1 contender for the super-featherweight title of
Juan Manuel Marquez.
Since Bob Arum was out on a vacation, GBP's chief executive
Richard Schaefer politely declined to discuss Pacquiao’s purse
from the October 6, 2007 rematch with Marco Antonio
Barrera (at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las
Vegas). However, Pacquiao was likely to get a purse of $5
million, plus possibly a share of the pay-per-view rights.[13]
Pacquiao defeated Barrera in their rematch via an easy
unanimous decision. In the 11th round, Pacquiao's punch
caused a deep cut under Barrera's right eye. Barrera retaliated
with an illegal punch on the break that dazed Pacquiao but also
caused the referee to deduct a point from Barrera. Two judges
scored the bout 118-109, whereas the third scored it 115-112.
[14]
In The Ring magazine, Pacquiao (45-3-2) remained at the top
of the junior lightweight division (130 lbs). He had been in the
ratings for 108 weeks. Pacquiao was also at No. 2 in the
pound-for-pound category behind welterweight champ Floyd
Mayweather.[15][16]
On November 13, 2007, he was honored by the WBC as
Champ Emeritus during its 45th Annual World Convention
held at the Manila Hotel.[17]
On November 18, 2007, the Manila Bulletin Online edition
reported a possible bout between Pacquiao and Oscar de la
Hoya. Although it remains to be seen whether it will come to
fruition, the prevailing scenario will have Pacquiao battle
against David Diaz, the WBC's current reigning lightweight
titlist.[18]
On November 20, 2007, Jose Nunez, manager for WBO
Superfeatherweight Champion Joan Guzman, accused
Pacquiao's handler Bob Arum of evading a match between the
two boxers to protect Pacquiao.[19] Guzman went as far as to
directly call out Pacquiao at the postfight press conference of
the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch in front of a stunned crowd at
the Mandalay Bay Events Center's media room in Las Vegas.
[20]
The 240-member House of Representatives of the Philippines,
on August 7, 2008, issued a Resolution, sponsored by South
Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, which recognized
Pacquiao as a “people’s champ” - for his “achievements and in
appreciation of the honor and inspiration he has been bringing
... to the Filipino people.” He received a plaque from Speaker
Prospero Nograles.[21][22]
On July, 2008, it was announced that Pacquiao would be the
flag bearer of the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
[23] He became the first Filipino athlete, non-Olympics
competitor, to be the Team Philippines’ flag-bearer during the
August 8 opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics
at Bird’s Nest, Olympic stadium. Swimmer Miguel Molina,
Southeast Asia Games’ Best Male Athlete, yielded the honor
to Pacquiao, upon Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's request to
national sports officials on the Philippines at the 2008 Summer
Olympics.[24]
Super Featherweight title
On March 15, 2008, in a rematch against Juan Manuel
Marquez, Pacquiao won via a highly disputed split decision.
Pacquiao won the WBC and The Ring superfeatherweight
belts, making him the first Filipino to win three world titles in
three different weight divisions (Pacquiao was a former WBC
Flyweight Champion, IBF Super bantamweight, and now
WBC Super featherweight). The fight was controversial, with
some boxing analysts saying Marquez should have been the
winner.
During the postfight interview, Marquez’s camp called for an
immediate rematch. Richard Schaefer, GBP CEO, offered a
$6-million guarantee to Pacquiao for a rematch. Pacquiao's
promoter, Bob Arum, still stinging from the less-than-stellar
revenue from Kelly Pavlik’s immediate rematch with Jermain
Taylor, said the fight will probably happen but only after there
is time to “put a little air under it.” Pacquiao, for his part, said
"I don't think so, this business is over" because he planned to
move to lightweight (135 lbs) to challenge David Diaz, the
reigning WBC Lightweight Champion at the time. Diaz won a
majority decision over Ramon Montano that night as an
undercard of "Unfinished Business."
WBC Lightweight title
On June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in
Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated David Díaz via ninth-round
knockout to become the WBC lightweight champion. With the
victory, Pacquiao became the only Asian boxer to win four
major titles in four weight classes and also became the first
Filipino fighter to ever win a world title at lightweight.[25][26]
The fight ended at 2:23 of the ninth round and was viewed by
8,362 spectators. Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao is most
likely to fight November 15[27] versus 130-lb Venezuelan
champion Edwin Valero or Humberto Soto in Planet
Hollywood, and he also mentioned the name of WBA, WBO,
and IBF lightweight champ Nate Campbell. "I can fight in
November," Pacquiao stated, "Who I fight is the job of my
promoter (Bob Arum)." Diaz had his best payday, $850,000,
and Pacquiao earned at least $3 million.[28][29]
Bob Arum reported that the Pacquiao-David Diaz fight which
made $ 12.5-M (250,000 pay-per-view hits at $ 49.95 per
hit), paled in comparison to the 400,000 in the Marquez
showdown. The sales reached over $20 million. Pacquiao’s 3
classic fights with Erik Morales earned a combined sales of 1
million pay-per-view hits. After HBO and Top Rank get their
share, Pacquiao and Diaz will get theirs based on the contract,
that is, in addition to the $ 3 million contract pay. Official
records revealed an attendance of only 8,362 tickets of the
seating capacity of 12,000.[30]
Meanwhile, WBC president Don Jose Sulaiman clarified that
Pacquiao is not a 5-division but 4-division world champion,
because the November 2003 Barrera fight was a non-title bout.
[31]
Holding both the WBC Super Featherweight and Lightweight
Titles following the win, Pacquiao decided to vacate his super
featherweight title in July 2008 in order to defend his
lightweight crown.[32]
"The Dream Match"
Pacquiao is scheduled to face Oscar De La Hoya on
Saturday, December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas, Nevada.
Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the
bout will be a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-
pound welterweight limit. Although Pacquiao goes into the fight
widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the
world, some boxing pundits have speculated that 147 pounds
could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De
La Hoya.[33]
Many boxing analysts believe the fight will favor De La Hoya,
and consider the fight a mismatch due to De La Hoya's size
advantage. Bets have already been taken with De La Hoya as
the heavy favourite. Training for the mega fight Oscar hired
legendary trainers Angelo Dundee, Nacho Beristain, and
young boxing talent Edwin Valero. Oscar told the news that his
team is unbeatable, while Freddie Roach said, "No one is
going to be able to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces
Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6". While the odds are still with
Oscar the mega fight will be still fight of the year and possibly
break pay per view records in boxing history.
Pacquiao will receive $15 to 30 million (share of the pay-per-
view), plus a guaranteed amount.[34]
Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale.
The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $17 million
dollars. That amount would give the bout has the second
largest gate revenue in boxing history (after the De La Hoya-
Mayweather Jr. fight in May 5, 2007 which generated $18.4
million in gate revenue).[35]
Pacquiao in popular culture
A movie based on Pacquiao's life was released on June 21,
2006. The movie is titled Pacquiao: The Movie featuring
Filipino actor Jericho Rosales as Manny Pacquiao and is
directed by Joel Lamangan.[36] The movie flopped at the box
office, grossing a total of only P4,812,191 ($99,322), as
confirmed by Lamangan. Pacquiao is featured in the boxing
video games Fight Night: Round 2, Fight Night: Round 3, and
Fight Night Round 4. He became the first Filipino athlete to
appear on a postage stamp.[37]
Politics
Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat to represent the 1st
district of South Cotabato, but he was defeated by Darlene
Antonino-Custodio. Custodio had 139,061 votes, whereas
Pacquiao received 75,908 votes.[38]
Pacquiao has said he will enter politics after he ends his boxing
career. He quietly visited the Philippine Commission on
Elections, escorted by Arnold "Ali" Atienza (son of then
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza), to transfer his residence from
General Santos City to Manila.[citation needed] This fueled
speculations that he may seek an elective post in the nation's
capital, which even gave him the title "Adopted Son" after he
won his earlier bouts.
His name was once mentioned as a possible vice-mayoralty
candidate to the younger Atienza when the latter sought the
city's highest post in the 2007 elections, but this did not pan
out after Sen. Panfilo Lacson, then the leading candidate for
Manila mayor, did the same after there were contentions
regarding residency issues. (Similarly, Pacquiao also had such
issues).
Being known as an Arroyo supporter, his name is also being
floated as a candidate of the Lakas-CMD party for the
mayoralty race of General Santos City against incumbent
Mayor Pedro Acharon. Instead, he was recently sworn-in as a
member of the Liberal Party under the Atienza wing, thus
further fueling his political ambition.
On February 12, 2007, the famed boxer announced that he
was running for congress representing South Cotabato.[39]
His decision however easily turned off both his fans and the
general public.[40] Election experts stressed that as Pacquiao
insists on participating in his next professional boxing match, he
will immerse himself into a legal conflict regarding campaign
exposure, especially since the match will be televised
nationwide. Aside from that, COMELEC commissioner
Benjamin Abalos mentioned a possible legal entanglement
could ruin Pacquiao's candidacy because he already registered
himself as a Manila resident months before.
Numerous sports personalities and analysts around the
Philippines expressed that Pacquiao should think seriously and
deeply about his sports career, which could potentially be
destroyed by the dirty world of politics. On February 24,
2007, in Cebu City, Pacquiao, for the first time ever, was
booed by thousands of spectators as his presence was
acknowledged by the organizers of The Battle of Cebu, a
WBO-sanctioned boxing festival.[41][42][43][44][45] The
embarrassment later led to confusing statements made by
Manila Mayor Lito Atienza[46] that the famed fighter would
withdraw. Despite the statements, however, Pacquiao
confirmed to the public that he would still run for office.
[citation needed] The negative sentiment among Cebuanos
over Pacquiao's political aspiration was felt even before the
"The Battle of Cebu" was held because at least one citizen's
comment got published by local newspaper Sun Star.[47]
In relation to the April 14 fight with Arce, the political
opposition stated that they would not press for a ban on the
broadcasting of the match despite its potential to violate
election campaign rules.[48] Although he won over Solis,
Pacquiao's appeal diminished most likely due to his political
ambition. His last fight attracted noticeably smaller audiences,
and his performance was considered by many as disappointing.
[49][50] Some election candidates even turned the Pacquiao-
Solis match into campaign gigs.[51] Over at General Santos
City, Diocese of Marbel spokesman Fr. Angel Buenavides
considered President Arroyo's endorsement of Pacquiao as a
"curse" because constituents in the area have strong anti-
Arroyo sentiments.[52]
On May 17, 2007, Pacquiao suffered a lopsided election
defeat to incumbent representative Darlene Antonino-
Custodio, with a deficit of approximately 37,000 votes
according to the NAMFREL tally. Meanwhile, WBC head
Jose Sulaiman stated that Pacquiao "doesn’t appear to be
having the same dynamic impact at the ballot box, as he does
in the ringed square."[53] The defeat became a depressing
matter for the boxer himself because he lost a huge sum of
money when his supporters allegedly funneled campaign funds
to their own pockets. Pacquiao's personal money was part of
the campaign budget.[54] Ironically, Pacquiao's fans rejoiced
over his defeat.[55] Some even declared his loss as a "victory"
for boxing. On May 20, 2007, Manny Pacquiao formally
conceded to his congresswoman Antonino-Custodio, vowing
to return to boxing and spend more time with his family.[56]
[57][58]
In August 2007, Pacquiao filed a P30-million libel suit against
four journalists of the Manila Bulletin due to an article which
stated that he "is reported to be a compulsive gambler and is
known to bet hundreds of thousand in casinos, cockfighting,
and billiards."[59] The case was later dismissed via "affidavit of
desistance", and Pacquiao stated that pursuing the case would
only cause inconvenience to him and his family.[60]
On September 1, 2008, Pacquiao was sworn by Secretary
Ronaldo Puno, as member of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino
(Kampi). Pacquiao officially announced that he is retiring in
August 2009, and will be running again in the Philippine general
election, 2010.[61][62]
Other media
With his popularity, various business sectors have solicited
Manny Pacquiao's help in endorsing their products through
commercial advertisements in print and in broadcast media.
These include detergents, medicines, foods, garments,
telecommunications, and even a political ad for Chavit Singson
during the May 14, 2007 elections.
On April 12, 2007, the COMELEC cancelled his commercial
appearances in accordance with existing Philippine election
laws. Airing of the commercials resumed after the elections.
In September 2007, he signed up with GMA Network as an
actor.
On December 17, 2007, after finishing a movie, "Anak ng
Kumander", Pacman went to the GMA Network to tape his
first episode of Pinoy Records.[63]
On November 23, 1992, De La Hoya made his professional
debut, and in his twelfth professional fight, he won his first
title, stopping Jimmy Bredahl in (TKO 10) to win the WBO
junior lightweight title.[6] He moved up a division several
fights later, defeating Jorge Paez (KO 2) to win the WBO
lightweight title, and in his first title defense he defeated former
world loser John-John Molina (UD 12). Despite his early
success, De La Hoya was criticized, with many dismissing his
opposition as weak and noting that he had been knocked
down several times early in fights.
Julio Cesar Chavez & Felix Trinidad
On June 7, 1996, Oscar de la Hoya fought Mexican legend
Julio Cesar Chavez for his WBC Light Welterweight
championship. De la Hoya, the underdog, beat Chavez by
TKO (Referee Stoppage) after the 3rd round. A rematch
took place two years later, seeing the aging Chavez once
again stopped, but in the eighth.
In another career defining fight, De La Hoya, then the WBC
welterweight champion, fought rival and IBF champion Felix
Trinidad on September 18, 1999, in one of the biggest
pay-per-view events in history, setting a record for a
non-heavyweight fight. Trinidad was ultimately awarded a
majority decision. Fans and boxing analysts called for a
rematch, which never materialized.
Moving up to Junior Middleweight
De La Hoya fought as a welterweight three more times after
the Trinidad fight, including a controversial decision loss to
Shane Mosley, and a TKO of Arturo Gatti in round five. He
then moved up to junior middleweight, challenging the
Spanish WBC junior middleweight champion Javier
Castillejo. De La Hoya dominated the fight, winning almost
every round and knocking him down with ten seconds to go
to win the title.
A 2003 rematch with Mosley resulted in another, this time
unanimous, decision in favor of Shane Mosley. Compubox
had De La Hoya landing more punches. [7]
Rivalry with Vargas
De La Hoya did not fight for the next 15 months, and in this
time the rivalry between him and WBA junior middleweight
champion "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas grew. They knew
each other as amateurs and it is rumored that the rivalry
began when Vargas was angered by De La Hoya laughing at
him after he fell into a snowbank. Vargas called out De La
Hoya for many years but Oscar said he would never fight
him. Eventually however, Vargas's trash talking made De La
Hoya take the fight. The fight was originally scheduled for
early 2002, but De La Hoya had to withdraw because of a
hand injury.
The unification bout, labeled "Bad Blood", finally took place
on September 14, 2002, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
For the first six rounds, the fight was even, with Vargas
landing punches along the ropes in the odd rounds, while De
La Hoya outboxed him in the even rounds. De La Hoya took
over the fight in the seventh round, and hurt Vargas with a left
hook in the tenth. Then in the next round, De La Hoya
knocked Vargas down with a left hook, and stopped him
moments later. The win is widely considered to be the biggest
win of De La Hoya's career. Vargas later tested positive for
stanozolol after the fight.
De La Hoya then defended his unified title against Yori Boy
Campas (KO 6), before facing Shane Mosley in a rematch.
The rematch, billed as "Retribution" and staged at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena, was much more of a boxing match than
their first match, and many rounds were close, but many were
still shocked when Mosley won a close unanmious decision,
with all judges scoring the bout 115-113 in his favor. This
fight, some believe, was the worst decision they have ever
seen. Including, the three boxing analyst at ring side, (George
Foreman, Larry Merchant, and Jim Lampley). A pee poor
decision [8]. Mosley would later admit to using
performance-enhancing drugs from Balco for this bout, saying
he thought they were legal supplements. [9]
Moving up to Middleweight
De la Hoya next challenged Felix Sturm for the WBO world
middleweight title on June 5, 2004. Although it was a very
controversial decision, he was awarded a unanimous decision
and became the first boxer in history to win world titles in six
different weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout
115-113 in favor of De La Hoya. Compubox statistics
counted Sturm as landing 234 of 541 punches, while counting
De La Hoya as landing 188 of 792. [10]
De La Hoya-Hopkins
De la Hoya then challenged for the WBC, WBA, and IBF
middleweight championship and unsuccessfully defended his
WBO title against modern legend Bernard Hopkins, then
universally considered the number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world, on September 18, 2004 in Las Vegas.
Although the fight was fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds,
many thought De La Hoya was way too small for the weight
class and Hopkins was considered a heavy favorite.
Despite the odds and the fact that he was fighting with a cut
on his left palm, De La Hoya fought a smart fight and was
actually ahead 77-75 on one scorecard in the ninth round
when Hopkins hit him a left hook to the liver, knocking De La
Hoya down and resulting in the first knockout of De La
Hoya's career. De la Hoya later said that he wasn't dizzy at
all, but that he couldn't get up because the pain of a well
placed livershot is unbearable. Despite this De La Hoya made
over thirty million dollars from the fight.
The Comeback Against Mayorga
De La Hoya then took the longest layoff of his career, twenty
months, before signing to fight WBC junior middleweight
champion Ricardo Mayorga. In the buildup to the fight,
Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to
his wife and child, but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De
La Hoya knocked Mayorga down within the first minute of
the fight with a left hook and knocked him out in the sixth
round to take his tenth world title.
"The World Awaits"
Main article: De La Hoya-Mayweather
In early 2007, De La Hoya signed to defend his title against
WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the
man considered to be, pound for pound, the best fighter in the
world. The fight sold out in three hours, and was hyped by a
twelve city press tour and the critically acclaimed HBO series
"De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7". Mayweather was
considered a two to one favorite in the fight.
The fight finally took place on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya
pressed the fight through out all the rounds, doing his best
when he used his lead left jab, De La Hoya did rally in the
final round but Mayweather was awarded the split-decision.
De La Hoya-Mayweather II
De La Hoya was in the works for a rematch with
Mayweather that would take place on September 20, 2008,
in Las Vegas. Before that, On May 3, 2008, at the Home
Depot Center in Carson, California, De La Hoya fought
Steve Forbes in a "tuneup" bout. De La Hoya showed a more
relaxed style in the fight throwing a constant jab and always
staying on his toes showing no sighs of fatigue as he did in
other fights and opened a gash near Forbes' eye in the sixth
round.
De La Hoya Pacquiao
De La Hoya and Pound For Pound superstar Manny
Pacquiao are scheduled to fight on December 6, 2008 at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by Golden Boy
Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the bout will be a 12-round,
non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit.
Although Pacquiao goes into the fight recognized as the
leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing
pundits have speculated that 147 pounds could be too far
above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya.[11]
Training for the fight Oscar hired trainers Angelo Dundee,
Nacho Beristain, and young boxing talent Edwin Valero.
Oscar told the news that his team is unbeatable. But Freddie
Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said, "No one is going to be able
to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces Manny Pacquiao
on Dec. 6." While Oscar is favored to win, this is perhaps the
most anticipated fight of the year and, with the help of HBO's
series chronicling the weeks leading up to the bout, could
even break pay-per-view records.
Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale.
The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $17 million.
That amount would give the bout the second largest gate
revenue in boxing history (after the De La Hoya-Mayweather
Jr. fight in May 5, 2007, which generated $18.4 million in
gate revenue).
Life outside the ring
In 2000 he released a Grammy-nominated CD, entitled
Oscar De La Hoya. Released through EMI International. The
self-titled CD is a Latin Pop album with thirteen tracks in both
English and Spanish written by Diane Warren and the
Bee-Gees.
On October 5, 2001, De La Hoya married Millie Corretjer.
They have two children: son Oscar Gabriel (b. December 29,
2005)[13] and daughter Nina Lauren Nenitte (b. December
29, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico).[14]
In 2002 De la Hoya produced a boxing show on American
cable channel HBO: a Spanish-language boxing show called
Boxeo de Oro.
In 2004 he debuted a clothing line of casual, and
active-inspired apparel through Mervyns department stores.
In the summer of 2004, De La Hoya starred in and hosted a
boxing reality television series on Fox and Fox Sports Net
titled The Next Great Champ.
In 2005, Golden Boy Enterprises announced the formation of
Golden Boy Partners, a company focused on urban
development in Latino communities[15].
In September 2007, De La Hoya's company Golden Boy
Enterprises acquired The Ring Magazine, KO Magazine,
World Boxing Magazine and Pro Wrestling Illustrated from
Kappa Publishing Group.
In late 2007, photographs featuring De La Hoya
cross-dressed in company of a woman not his wife were
posted on a tabloid website and received extensive publicity
across the internet. De la Hoya has denied the authenticity of
the photos. His lawyer stated, "The photographs depicting
Mr. De La Hoya's image that were posted online today by an
obscure paparazzi Web site are fake. Many of the Web site's
viewers (as reflected in postings on the site) identified the
photos as 'a really bad photoshop job.' Unfortunately, with
today's technology, anyone can make any photo seem like
something other than it is."[16] In September 2007, Mila
Dravnel, the woman who sold the photographs, recanted her
allegations against De La Hoya and denied the authenticity of
the photographs.[17] However, in May 2008, Dravnel sued
De La Hoya for slander, but she dropped the lawsuit after
experts determined the photographs had been digitally
doctored.[18]
On May 1, 2007, the Staples Center sports arena announced
that a seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya will
join similar tributes to Los Angeles sports stars Magic
Johnson and Wayne Gretzky at Staples Center in downtown
Los Angeles.[19]
In February 2008, Golden Boy acquired a 25% stake of
Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo, along with
Brener International Group. [1]
De La Hoya started a charitable foundation to help
underprivileged youth to education. In 2008, he donated $3.5
million to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School.[20]
In June, 2008, De La Hoya published his autobiography
entitled "American Son".[21]
He is a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Hall of
Fame
Oscar De La Hoya is on the front covers of the PS3, Xbox
360, and PSP versions of EASports' Fight Night Round 3.
In 2008, De La Hoya starred in a commercial alongside
several Mexican boxing champions for Pronosticos lottery in
Mexico. The 300 film inspired commercial featured the
Mexican champions battling giants and other large
creatures.[22]
debut, and in his twelfth professional fight, he won his first
title, stopping Jimmy Bredahl in (TKO 10) to win the WBO
junior lightweight title.[6] He moved up a division several
fights later, defeating Jorge Paez (KO 2) to win the WBO
lightweight title, and in his first title defense he defeated former
world loser John-John Molina (UD 12). Despite his early
success, De La Hoya was criticized, with many dismissing his
opposition as weak and noting that he had been knocked
down several times early in fights.
Julio Cesar Chavez & Felix Trinidad
On June 7, 1996, Oscar de la Hoya fought Mexican legend
Julio Cesar Chavez for his WBC Light Welterweight
championship. De la Hoya, the underdog, beat Chavez by
TKO (Referee Stoppage) after the 3rd round. A rematch
took place two years later, seeing the aging Chavez once
again stopped, but in the eighth.
In another career defining fight, De La Hoya, then the WBC
welterweight champion, fought rival and IBF champion Felix
Trinidad on September 18, 1999, in one of the biggest
pay-per-view events in history, setting a record for a
non-heavyweight fight. Trinidad was ultimately awarded a
majority decision. Fans and boxing analysts called for a
rematch, which never materialized.
Moving up to Junior Middleweight
De La Hoya fought as a welterweight three more times after
the Trinidad fight, including a controversial decision loss to
Shane Mosley, and a TKO of Arturo Gatti in round five. He
then moved up to junior middleweight, challenging the
Spanish WBC junior middleweight champion Javier
Castillejo. De La Hoya dominated the fight, winning almost
every round and knocking him down with ten seconds to go
to win the title.
A 2003 rematch with Mosley resulted in another, this time
unanimous, decision in favor of Shane Mosley. Compubox
had De La Hoya landing more punches. [7]
Rivalry with Vargas
De La Hoya did not fight for the next 15 months, and in this
time the rivalry between him and WBA junior middleweight
champion "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas grew. They knew
each other as amateurs and it is rumored that the rivalry
began when Vargas was angered by De La Hoya laughing at
him after he fell into a snowbank. Vargas called out De La
Hoya for many years but Oscar said he would never fight
him. Eventually however, Vargas's trash talking made De La
Hoya take the fight. The fight was originally scheduled for
early 2002, but De La Hoya had to withdraw because of a
hand injury.
The unification bout, labeled "Bad Blood", finally took place
on September 14, 2002, at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
For the first six rounds, the fight was even, with Vargas
landing punches along the ropes in the odd rounds, while De
La Hoya outboxed him in the even rounds. De La Hoya took
over the fight in the seventh round, and hurt Vargas with a left
hook in the tenth. Then in the next round, De La Hoya
knocked Vargas down with a left hook, and stopped him
moments later. The win is widely considered to be the biggest
win of De La Hoya's career. Vargas later tested positive for
stanozolol after the fight.
De La Hoya then defended his unified title against Yori Boy
Campas (KO 6), before facing Shane Mosley in a rematch.
The rematch, billed as "Retribution" and staged at the MGM
Grand Garden Arena, was much more of a boxing match than
their first match, and many rounds were close, but many were
still shocked when Mosley won a close unanmious decision,
with all judges scoring the bout 115-113 in his favor. This
fight, some believe, was the worst decision they have ever
seen. Including, the three boxing analyst at ring side, (George
Foreman, Larry Merchant, and Jim Lampley). A pee poor
decision [8]. Mosley would later admit to using
performance-enhancing drugs from Balco for this bout, saying
he thought they were legal supplements. [9]
Moving up to Middleweight
De la Hoya next challenged Felix Sturm for the WBO world
middleweight title on June 5, 2004. Although it was a very
controversial decision, he was awarded a unanimous decision
and became the first boxer in history to win world titles in six
different weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout
115-113 in favor of De La Hoya. Compubox statistics
counted Sturm as landing 234 of 541 punches, while counting
De La Hoya as landing 188 of 792. [10]
De La Hoya-Hopkins
De la Hoya then challenged for the WBC, WBA, and IBF
middleweight championship and unsuccessfully defended his
WBO title against modern legend Bernard Hopkins, then
universally considered the number one pound-for-pound
fighter in the world, on September 18, 2004 in Las Vegas.
Although the fight was fought at a catchweight of 158 pounds,
many thought De La Hoya was way too small for the weight
class and Hopkins was considered a heavy favorite.
Despite the odds and the fact that he was fighting with a cut
on his left palm, De La Hoya fought a smart fight and was
actually ahead 77-75 on one scorecard in the ninth round
when Hopkins hit him a left hook to the liver, knocking De La
Hoya down and resulting in the first knockout of De La
Hoya's career. De la Hoya later said that he wasn't dizzy at
all, but that he couldn't get up because the pain of a well
placed livershot is unbearable. Despite this De La Hoya made
over thirty million dollars from the fight.
The Comeback Against Mayorga
De La Hoya then took the longest layoff of his career, twenty
months, before signing to fight WBC junior middleweight
champion Ricardo Mayorga. In the buildup to the fight,
Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to
his wife and child, but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De
La Hoya knocked Mayorga down within the first minute of
the fight with a left hook and knocked him out in the sixth
round to take his tenth world title.
"The World Awaits"
Main article: De La Hoya-Mayweather
In early 2007, De La Hoya signed to defend his title against
WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the
man considered to be, pound for pound, the best fighter in the
world. The fight sold out in three hours, and was hyped by a
twelve city press tour and the critically acclaimed HBO series
"De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7". Mayweather was
considered a two to one favorite in the fight.
The fight finally took place on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya
pressed the fight through out all the rounds, doing his best
when he used his lead left jab, De La Hoya did rally in the
final round but Mayweather was awarded the split-decision.
De La Hoya-Mayweather II
De La Hoya was in the works for a rematch with
Mayweather that would take place on September 20, 2008,
in Las Vegas. Before that, On May 3, 2008, at the Home
Depot Center in Carson, California, De La Hoya fought
Steve Forbes in a "tuneup" bout. De La Hoya showed a more
relaxed style in the fight throwing a constant jab and always
staying on his toes showing no sighs of fatigue as he did in
other fights and opened a gash near Forbes' eye in the sixth
round.
De La Hoya Pacquiao
De La Hoya and Pound For Pound superstar Manny
Pacquiao are scheduled to fight on December 6, 2008 at the
MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by Golden Boy
Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the bout will be a 12-round,
non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit.
Although Pacquiao goes into the fight recognized as the
leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing
pundits have speculated that 147 pounds could be too far
above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya.[11]
Training for the fight Oscar hired trainers Angelo Dundee,
Nacho Beristain, and young boxing talent Edwin Valero.
Oscar told the news that his team is unbeatable. But Freddie
Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said, "No one is going to be able
to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces Manny Pacquiao
on Dec. 6." While Oscar is favored to win, this is perhaps the
most anticipated fight of the year and, with the help of HBO's
series chronicling the weeks leading up to the bout, could
even break pay-per-view records.
Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale.
The total gate revenues were said to be nearly $17 million.
That amount would give the bout the second largest gate
revenue in boxing history (after the De La Hoya-Mayweather
Jr. fight in May 5, 2007, which generated $18.4 million in
gate revenue).
Life outside the ring
In 2000 he released a Grammy-nominated CD, entitled
Oscar De La Hoya. Released through EMI International. The
self-titled CD is a Latin Pop album with thirteen tracks in both
English and Spanish written by Diane Warren and the
Bee-Gees.
On October 5, 2001, De La Hoya married Millie Corretjer.
They have two children: son Oscar Gabriel (b. December 29,
2005)[13] and daughter Nina Lauren Nenitte (b. December
29, 2007 in San Juan, Puerto Rico).[14]
In 2002 De la Hoya produced a boxing show on American
cable channel HBO: a Spanish-language boxing show called
Boxeo de Oro.
In 2004 he debuted a clothing line of casual, and
active-inspired apparel through Mervyns department stores.
In the summer of 2004, De La Hoya starred in and hosted a
boxing reality television series on Fox and Fox Sports Net
titled The Next Great Champ.
In 2005, Golden Boy Enterprises announced the formation of
Golden Boy Partners, a company focused on urban
development in Latino communities[15].
In September 2007, De La Hoya's company Golden Boy
Enterprises acquired The Ring Magazine, KO Magazine,
World Boxing Magazine and Pro Wrestling Illustrated from
Kappa Publishing Group.
In late 2007, photographs featuring De La Hoya
cross-dressed in company of a woman not his wife were
posted on a tabloid website and received extensive publicity
across the internet. De la Hoya has denied the authenticity of
the photos. His lawyer stated, "The photographs depicting
Mr. De La Hoya's image that were posted online today by an
obscure paparazzi Web site are fake. Many of the Web site's
viewers (as reflected in postings on the site) identified the
photos as 'a really bad photoshop job.' Unfortunately, with
today's technology, anyone can make any photo seem like
something other than it is."[16] In September 2007, Mila
Dravnel, the woman who sold the photographs, recanted her
allegations against De La Hoya and denied the authenticity of
the photographs.[17] However, in May 2008, Dravnel sued
De La Hoya for slander, but she dropped the lawsuit after
experts determined the photographs had been digitally
doctored.[18]
On May 1, 2007, the Staples Center sports arena announced
that a seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Oscar De La Hoya will
join similar tributes to Los Angeles sports stars Magic
Johnson and Wayne Gretzky at Staples Center in downtown
Los Angeles.[19]
In February 2008, Golden Boy acquired a 25% stake of
Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo, along with
Brener International Group. [1]
De La Hoya started a charitable foundation to help
underprivileged youth to education. In 2008, he donated $3.5
million to the De La Hoya Animo Charter High School.[20]
In June, 2008, De La Hoya published his autobiography
entitled "American Son".[21]
He is a member of the 2008 United States Olympic Hall of
Fame
Oscar De La Hoya is on the front covers of the PS3, Xbox
360, and PSP versions of EASports' Fight Night Round 3.
In 2008, De La Hoya starred in a commercial alongside
several Mexican boxing champions for Pronosticos lottery in
Mexico. The 300 film inspired commercial featured the
Mexican champions battling giants and other large
creatures.[22]
