Five Things You Didn’t Know about Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao And Juan Manuel Marquez Press Conference

Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino professional boxer and politician with an estimated net worth of over $100 million. Manny is wildly-considered one of the most successful boxers in his respective weight class of all-time. Pacman is the first and only eight-division world champion, in which he has won ten world titles. Pacquiao is no stranger to making bank either – his career earnings are well-over $300 million. According to Forbes, he’s the 14th highest-paid professional athlete in the world. It’s not only his boxing earnings that have propelled Pacman onto Forbes’ list, he’s also blessed with an expansive endorsement campaign.

The most well-known details about the life of Manny Pacquiao is his remarkable success in the ring. He was named “Fighter of the Decade” for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America. However, his public life and influence extends well-beyond the ring. In 2010, Manny was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Phillippines, representing the province of Sarangani. He was reelected in 2013.

That’s the common knowledge about Manny Pacquiao, here’s what you may not know….

Family Man

You see Pacman in the ring, you see him in advertisements and you know he’s doing it big in politics. What you don’t see is that Pacman is the father of five children. He resides in his hometown of General Santos City, South Cotabato, Phillippines. Pacquiao has been married to his wife, Maria, for quite some time as well.

Lieutenant Colonel

Manny Pacquiao is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Phillippine Army. He first entered the Army Reserve Force in 2006 as a Sergeant and continued to move up in rank over the next few years. He was also commissioned as the Command Sergeant Major of the 15th Ready Reserve Division.

Basketball Owner

He’s no Mark Cuban, but he has something in common with him. Manny Pacquiao is the owner of the PacMan Gensan team of the Mindanao Visayas  Basketball Association, which is based out of his hometown in General Santos City. The team is pretty solid too. They won the championship in 2005 and were runner-ups in 2006. Pacman loved basketball as a kid, but as 5’6″ he didn’t have much of a future in the sport.

Time 100

While it’s great to be included in any list by Forbes perhaps it’s a greater honor to be included in the Time 100. The Time 100 is a list of the most influential people in the world. According to the voting, Pacquiao came in at #22 on the list that includes Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Dalai Lama. He’s one of the few athletes on the list and he’s the only Filipino.

$1 Fight

Manny Pacquiao is an amazing story. He’s a true rags to riches story. His family comes from poverty and he sold donuts in the street as a kid to help support them. When he was 12-years old he had his first fight. After winning, he was given less than $1 for the fight, which he immediately gave to his mother to buy rice. These days Pacquiao is a lock to earn over $15 million in guaranteed money for a fight. That’s a heck of an improvement!

Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

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