Top five Manny Pacquiao knockouts
The unappareled mix of speed and power made Manny Pacquiao into a premier knockout artist during the peak of his career. It was his flurry of combinations that endeared him to boxing aficionados.
Eight-Division World Champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao is one of the most legendary fighters in the history of boxing. His victories are largely due to his in-depth knowledge of techniques and speedy footwork. However, what makes Pacquiao extraordinary are the powerful punches he lands on his opponents.
Here are Pacquiao’s top five greatest knockouts.
Pacquiao vs David Díaz
Fresh from winning via split decision against Juan Manuel Márquez in March 2008, Manny proceeded to face Díaz three months later for the WBC lightweight belt. Pacquiao was ruthless from the get-go, turning the face of “Dangerous” into a bloody mess.
Finally, on the ninth round, “PacMan” landed a left hand that sent Díaz falling to the canvas facedown. Because of this, Pacquiao became the first Asian boxer to win titles in five weight classes.
Pacquiao vs Oscar de la Hoya
Despite not having any championships at stake, this battle of legends still garnered a lot of attention and hype. For one, it put to end the impasse between two of the biggest boxing promotions in the United States at that time: Bob Arum’s Top Rank Boxing and de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
The number one pound-for-pound boxer at that time dominated the Olympic gold medalist and six-division champ, de la Hoya deciding to not answer to the bell to start the ninth round. The victory practically propelled Pacquiao to the upper echelons of prizefighting.
Pacquiao vs Erik Morales 3
Dubbed “The Grand Finale”, this was the third and final meeting of Pacquiao and his Mexican rival. It was to determine who would prevail in their head-to-head, which was tied at 1-1.
This affair lasted only three rounds as Manny was all over Morales right from the start. From this animosity blossomed a friendship, the latter becoming a minor celebrity in Pacquiao’s home country of the Philippines.
Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto
Manny was going up against bigger fighters at this point of his career; one of those who stepped up to challenge him was then WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto. Although the match ended via referee stoppage in the 12th round, Pacquiao managed to knock down Cotto twice early in the contest.
The night’s main event was so brutal and one-sided, Cotto’s wife decided to leave the venue with the bout still ongoing. The win made Pacquiao the first seven-division titleholder of the sport.
Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton
The most action-packed two rounds of boxing happened when these two sluggers faced each other in “The Battle of East and West”. Hatton started attacking right at the opening bell and Pacquiao responded in kind.
Pacquiao knocked down Hatton twice in the first round. With a second left on the second, Manny unleashed the finishing blow, punching the lights out of the English boxer.
This, undoubtedly, is one of the best knockouts in the career of “PacMan”.
Here is our list of five of Manny Pacquiao’s top knockouts. Did we miss anything? He is set to face South Korean martial artist DK Yoo in December.
