Manny Pacquiao delivered one of his best performances 17 years ago today.
Pacquiao has proved that his skill transcends multiple weight classes during his legendary career in the ring, becoming the only fighter in history to win twelve world titles in eight different divisions.
Not everyone was always confident of ‘PacMan’ achieving such a feat, even when he was regarded as the pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.
Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 but had already beaten him in two of their three fights. The first victory saw the Filipino become the WBC and The Ring super featherweight champion in 2008, a result that was followed up by Pacquiao moving up to welterweight to fight six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
Their clash at MGM Grand Garden Arena was dubbed ‘The Dream Match’, and it was certainly a dream result for the Filipino star.
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What is your favorite Manny Pacquiao KO?
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Manny Pacquiao destroyed Oscar De La Hoya to end the American’s boxing career
Some in the boxing world had their doubts about Pacquiao’s chances against the much larger De La Hoya at 147 pounds, with it being much higher than his natural weight.
But on this day, December 6, in 2008, ‘PacMan’ proved them wrong in emphatic fashion.
Pacquiao destroyed De La Hoya in their non-title fight, beating ‘The Golden Boy’ up until the Californian could take no more.
The one-sided fight was pure domination from the Filipino fan favorite, who left De La Hoya helpless and ultimately unable to return from his corner after eight rounds.
Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage, with two scoring the fight 80–71 and the other having it 79–72. The fight stats showed just how dominant ‘PacMan’ had been, as he outstruck De La Hoya by 224 punches to just 83.
De La Hoya seemingly knew that his time was up after the beatdown, admitting that while he wanted to keep fighting, his body would simply not allow it.
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Oscar De La Hoya called Manny Pacquiao his greatest ever opponent
Pacquiao was one of many all-time greats whom De La Hoya shared the ring with during an illustrious career that spanned 16 years.
But ‘The Golden Boy’ recently snubbed legends like Floyd Mayweather, Julio Cesar Chavez, Shane Mosley, and Bernard Hopkins to name Pacquiao as the best.
“I would have to say Pacquiao [is the best I faced],” De La Hoya told Ring Magazine.
“I think his determination, his conditioning, his skill, his power, speed, footwork…he’s one of the fighters I most appreciated.
“Mayweather-Pacquiao would have been a lot different [if they’d fought] in their primes. Pacquiao would have beat [Mayweather] easy, absolutely,” he added.
While that theory will never be tested, Pacquiao could have the chance for some late-career revenge on Mayweather in 2026.
Does Manny Pacquiao beat Floyd Mayweather if they have a rematch in 2026?
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Reports of Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2 have been swirling recently, with Netflix rumored to be interested in staging a redo of the ‘Fight of the Century’ in 2026.
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