Between January 2006 and November 2010, he went 12-0 with seven knockouts, winning world titles in five weight classes spanning from 130 to 154 pounds.
“It was all because of God’s grace and my hard work — the way I punished myself in training,” Pacquiao explained. “I would do between 33 and 36 rounds every day in training. That was a big move up in weight. Doing that is not easy. If you’re not focused and dedicated to boxing — and don’t make it your passion — that’s difficult to accomplish.”
Returning to the ring for the first time in more than two years Saturday in a Fox pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pacquiao (62-7-2, 39 KOs) originally sought to fight unbeaten WBC/IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., 31, of Texas.
Defeating Spence, Pacquiao theorized last month, would place him in the rarefied air that counts Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson in the discussion of which boxing legend was the greatest.
Spence, however, withdrew with a torn retina in his left eye, replaced the man who succeeded Pacquiao as World Boxing Association champion, Yordenis Ugas of Cuba.
Recapturing the belt at age 42 would place Pacquiao among such greats as Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman, who were world champions well past their 40th birthday. While that feat is rare, it’s the remarkable peak of Pacquiao’s success that separates him from most other elites.
Pacquiao defeated five Hall of Famers and five other world champions during his stirring run, counting Oscar De La Hoya, four-division champion Miguel Cotto, archrival Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and 154-pound Antonio Margarito among the vanquished.
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Manny Pacquiao's bitter rivals describe him at his peak: 'He just kept coming' - The Athletic
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