Manny Pacquiao Elected As Member Of The International Boxing Hall Of Fame

JAKARTA - Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest and most popular boxers of all time, was elected to the 2025 Class International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF).

Pacquiao, the only eight-division champion in boxing history, made his way into the Hall of Fame in his first year.

The former Philippine senator, who ran for President of the Philippines in 2022, joined Michael Nunn andten Paz in the male modern boxer category.

"I am very happy to have been selected to join the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This is certainly an extraordinary Christmas gift," Pacquiao said in a statement to IBHOF.

"Throughout my career, as a professional boxer and public servant, my goal is to bring honor to my country, the Philippines and fellow Filipinos around the world."

"Today, I am honored to know that in June 2025, I will receive the highest boxing award, joining our national hero, Flash Elorde, as well as my coach and friend, Freddie Roach."

"I am very grateful to those who chose me. I hope to celebrate with my family, friends, and fans at Induction Weekend, Canastata, New York," he said last week, December 5, 2024.

Induction Weekend takes place on June 5-8, 2025. Pacquiao will be there with other selected boxers, such as Yessica Chavez's modern female boxers, Anne Sophie totaling, and Mary Jo Sanders, along with Cathy "Cat" Davis in the pioneer category.

Then, in the non-participants category there are referees Kenny Bayless, Al Gavin, and Harry Gibbs.

Meanwhile, former HBO Sports executive Ross Greenburg was selected in the observer category with Randy Gordon of Sirius XM Radio (former New York State athletic commissioner and former editor of The Ring magazine).

Rodrigo Valdez of Colombia, the middleweight champion who competed from 1963 to 1980, was elected in the old boxer category, while Owen Smith was chosen as the pioneer.

The only true star in the class was Pacquiao, who won his first title in the 108th class and continued to advance to win titles in seven other heavyweights, including 154 pounds, through 72 fights.

He became a professional boxer at the age of 16 in the Philippines to support his family, a trip that took him to Hollywood, where he teamed up with Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach.

Together, they climbed to the top of the sport and stayed there for nearly two decades.

"I opened my gym, the Wild Card Boxing Club, with the hope that Muhammad Ali will come next."

"Without me realizing it, in 2001, my Muhammad Ali would have weighed 122 pounds. His name was Manny Pacquiao. He is and is still the pride of the Philippines."

"For twenty years, after Manny and I first fought boxing at the Wild Card, we trained together for some of the biggest fights."

"All the time the collection of world championship belts has increased, as well as its presence in boxing and the world."

"Today's announcement that Manny will be a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame Class 2025 makes me very proud."

"While I've been happy working with Manny for years, I even prefer to share the same walls with him at the International Boxing Hall of Fame," Roach said on the same occasion.

Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KO) has won over eight other Hall of Famers, namely Marco Antonio Barrera, Timothy Bradley, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Erik Morales, and Miguel Cotto.

His 2015 fight with another Hall of Fame, Floyd Mayweather, broke business records - set a record that still persists to date - including revenue earned from one event, admission tickets, and pay-per-view purchases.

Pacquiao is loved for his humility in and outside the ring, his endless fighting spirit, and generous charity efforts for his homeland.

His incredible performance was when he defeated Barrera in 11 rounds in 2003. His last win which became his signature was against Keith Thurman in 2019 at the age of 40.

On the sidelines, Pacquiao enjoyed one of the best boxing competitions through four thrilling fights with Marquez from Mexico.

He has also had a trilogy duel against Morales from Mexico. Even though he won 2-1, his defeat in the first fight was the most memorable.

His fighting style was incredible, his speed was incredible, and his deadly left punch introduced many people to boxing as he starred in Las Vegas over and over again.

Pacquiao's frequent shows make up more than 1 million PPV purchases. Pacquiao is among the boxers with the highest income of all time.

His last fight was a defeat against Yordenis Ugas in August 2021, in which Ugas replaced Errol Spence Jr. with a short notice.

Pacquiao will share the stage with two other male boxers, Nunn and Paz. IBHOF allows voters to vote for up to five boxers every year and three with the highest total votes will be selected.

Nunn, 61, was elected a Hall of Fame member nearly 22 years after his last fight.

The original boxer, Davenport, Iowa, United States, holds the IBF middleweight title from 1988 to 1991 and the WBA super middleweight title from 1992 to 1994. He was the defending champion during both times.

Nunn's best achievement came in 1989-1991, when he defeated Iran Barkley, Marlon totaling, and Hall of Fame member Donald Curry in a consecutive battle before he was stopped by James Toney (who is also a Hall of Fame member).

Nunn (58-4, 38 KOs) was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2004 for drug trafficking. He was released in 2019.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. God really bless me. I want to thank the International Boxing Hall of Fame and all the voters."

"This is the highest achievement a boxer can achieve in this sport. As a small town from Iowa, achieving the highest achievement in boxing makes me proud. This is the peak moment of my career," said Nunn.

Meanwhile, Paz (50-10, 30 KOs) is best known for his outstanding return to a spinal cord injury - one of the biggest sporting achievements - after he was involved in a direct collision resulting in a spinal dislocation and two fractured spines in his neck.

The return became the basis of the 2016 Paz Biographical film Bleed for This starring Miles Teller.

Paz, 61, holds the title in the lightweight and junior middleweight. Paz scored victory over 43-year-old Roberto Duran in 1994 and 1995.

Paz was stopped by Roy Jones Jr in a 1995 title fight. The last fight of a native of Rhode Island, United States, took place in 2004.