Manny Pacquiao is considered to be one of the greatest boxers who has stepped foot inside the squared circle, being the only 8-division champion in the history of boxing. Pacquiao never let his impoverished background affect his passion for boxing. Decades ago, he was just a kid hailing from Kibawe, Philippines.
But he wanted to turn his life around, and at a young age, and decided to get on a ship to Manila to earn a decent livelihood to support his parents. Then as he got older, he developed an interest in boxing and then never looked back. Notably, Pacquiao is an apt figure who exemplifies the famous phrase ‘from rags to riches’.
Although he came from a poor background, he is now named among one of the highest-paid athletes list. According to Forbes, Pacquiao has accumulated a total net worth of $26 million, as of 2019. Well, Pacquiao devoted his life to boxing, and as a result, he is now enjoying the fruits of his labor. But recently, he went one step ahead, revealing another crucial reason behind becoming a boxer.
Manny Pacquiao divulges why he decided to become a boxer
A video has resurfaced online, where Pacquiao was seen hanging out with the one and only, Mike Tyson. Although, some years ago, Tyson was vehemently opposed to Pacquiao’s remarks on homosexuality, and stated ‘PacMan’ should be barred for uttering something so horrible. But, this video shows that they’ve moved on from their past differences, and Tyson has accepted the transformation in Pacquiao’s outlook toward life.
Recently, Pacquiao and Tyson met each other at one of the biggest events of 2023, Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis. He approached Tyson to take some pictures with him. He even posted those pictures on all of his social media handles instantly, but there is also a video circulating on social media. In the video, another boxer Isaac Cruz can also be seen in the middle of two titans.
In that video, Pacquiao revealed, “I watched his fight in1990s and became a boxer.” Even Tyson has praised Manny Pacquiao multiple times and he’s called him the most “sensational” boxer of all time.
Although there was some hostility that loomed in the backdrop of their recent meeting, it seems that they have successfully put aside their differences. But, recently, Tyson named a boxer who he thinks is better than Manny Pacquiao.
Tyson puts the Japanese P4P star above Pacquiao
In one of the episodes of Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ talked about a boxing sensation from the bantamweight division who cruised through the division with an undefeated record. Naoya Inoue is the former undisputed bantamweight champion, who held all four titles in the division. In addition, he’s also currently the 4-division champion. Recently, Inoue went up against Stephen Fulton at catchweight for super-bantam weight titles and won by eight round TKO.
Well, Tyson stands greatly impressed by Inoue’s boxing skills and even stated that he is a better boxer than the Filipino legend. He said, “He [Inoue] is a mean son of a b**. He don’t look like much, but he’s better than Manny Pacquiao. He’s vicious – ‘The Monster’.”