Manny Pacquiao - Pacman: My Story of Hope, Resilience, and Never-Say-Never Determination

The most accomplished boxer, pound for pound, inside and outside the ring.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Manny is one of the best boxers competing today. Not only is he a very talented athlete, but he is also a very caring and humble person. He is a man of unflinching integrity and someone I am proud to call a good friend. Everyone should read his inspiring story.

RON ARTEST, ALL-STAR & NBA CHAMPION

Pound for pound, Manny is the best boxer in the world, but even more important than holding that distinction, Manny has connected with the people of his home country, the Philippines, to the point where he is almost like a god.

LENNOX LEWIS,
FORMER HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER AND HBO COMMENTATOR

Manny Pacquiao is a great champion, a great human being, an environmentalist, and a man who understands that fame and celebrity come with a responsibilityto the community. Hes a true champion.

ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES

The man who used to sell donuts and ice water on the streets transformed his humble beginnings into world stardom, and near legendary status in his home country.

BEVAN SCHNECK, TIME MAGAZINE

Manny is by far the most popular boxer worldwide today, and his rags-to-riches story is inspiring and compelling. Pacman is the honest and compassionate story of a young man who was raised in he poorest of villages in the Philippines, who became the worlds greatest fighter, and who is now a Congressman in his home province in the Philippines.

TOMMY LASORDA, THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS

Having known as friends, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, and others, Manny Pacquiao is one of the most exciting boxers Ive ever seen and his rags-to-riches story will inspire anyone. His passion, work ethic, discipline and dedication ensures his greatness. Most importantly, though, is that hes a genuinely nice man.

WAYNE NEWTON, ARTIST & ENTERTAINER

Pacman

MY STORY OF HOPE, RESILIENCE, AND NEVER-SAY-NEVER DETERMINATION

MANNY PACQUIAO

WITH TIMOTHY JAMES

The most accomplished boxer, pound for pound, inside and outside the ring.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

PACMAN. Copyright 2010 Manny Pacquiao. All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other without the prior written permission of the publisher.

For information about bulk purchases or licensing, please contact the publisher:
Dunham Books, 63 Music Square East, Nashville, Tennessee 37203

ISBN:978-1-4276-4768-9

All photographs used by permission of German Villasenor.
Cover and Interior Design: Mary Susan Oleson, BLU DESIGN CONCEPTS

Printed in the United States of America
Also printed in the Philippines

To my dear wife and partner, Jinkee.

BOXING ICON MANNY PACQUIAO began his life, appropriately enough, on the ropes. He was born Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao on December 17, 1978, in the impoverished neighborhood of Kibawe, Bukidon, in the Philippines.

Today, he is known throughout the world as a sports legend, role model, and, most recently, as a congressman in his native Philippines.

Manny is a miracle story. He never dreamed of becoming a congressman or the only world-class boxer to hold seven titles in seven different divisions. His dream was to join the Catholic priesthood and serve God. That, however, was just a dream. Born into poverty, Manny never had the opportunity to receive a formal education. He learned from the streets of General Santos City. Indeed, Manny was forced to survive and provide for his family of five in his pre-boxing life by selling practically anything and everything on the streets. He peddled roasted nuts, fish, ice water, doughnuts, and bread. Eventually, he found boxing as the only way for him to survive. Through it all, Manny did sell anything and everything, but never his soul. His core values never changed. Hence, it is not surprising that despite his financial successes, Manny remains grounded.

Many people wonder where Manny acquired the nickname Pacman. It is the combination of the first syllables of his first and last namePAC comes from his last name, Pacquiao, and MAN comes from Manny. He has other nicknames as well, including Peoples Champion, The Destroyer, and Pambansang Kamao (National Fist). But in the end, Manny is just Mannyboth a hero and a regular guyand he has not forgotten those who touched his life. Today, whether it is holiday turkeys or tickets to his matches, he continues to give back to the people and the country that fed and supported him through so many years of hardship. Those who know Manny will tell you that he feels grateful and blessed to be able to give back, and nothing makes him more genuinely happy than to help those who were a part of his roots and early suffering.

Pound for pound, Manny Pacquiao is the best fighter in the world today. He started with nothing and rose to the pinnacle of the boxing world through sheer determination, faith in God, devotion to his family, and the support of a nation of people just like himpeople who fight to survive every single day. Now, as a congressman, Manny is ready to lead his people. Indeed, Manny is certainly one of the most influential people in the Philippines; by some standards he is considered one of the most influential people in the world.

He is hope.
He is resilience.
He is never-say-never determination.
This is his story.

I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW something about me, something that most people did not know: I dont like to get hit. ive gotten used to it over time, and it is a product of the excitement i have created, but i really dont like to get hit.

Let me explain. When i was a small boy in Kibawe, Philippines, i learned that everyone has the ability to create his or her own opportunities, whether through good fortune or hard work. But in addition to these things, i realized that if you are in the business of sales and you are the business, there are two more important things you need: you need to be able to catch peoples attention, and you need to be unique.

so when the opportunity came along for me to fight for money, i knew i had to be more than a good fighter who won. I had to be exciting. I had to create a buzz. I had to be the talk of the town, the country, and the world. i remember watching DVDs of one of my favorite fighters of all time, Julio Cesar Chaves. He was exciting. He was a sport unto himself. so i studied him, just as i did with all fighters. But with Cesar Chavez, I studied more than just his techniques and fights. i studied him. i studied the level of excitement that he generated. So, when I started to box, I strived to excite my fans by throwing the hardest punch that the world had seen.

But as i later learned, hard punches are not enough. i realized that i not only need to knock out my opponents, but also need to get hit myself, even if I dont like it. The reason? I need to create a war inside the ring. A war is far more exciting than a one-sided rout. i want to suspend the audience and captivate themgive them something to keep them on the edge of their seats. This is excitement. This is suspense. This is how I became someone that people talked about.

Boxing is a businessa professional businesswith deals and side deals. The gym is my office, the ring is my negotiation table, and i am the producta product i sell to the world. So i am a businessman because im a fighter, and i am a fighter because Im a businessman. This philosophy goes hand in hand with everything ive ever done in my life, not just fighting. From watching rooster fights to observing hustlers on the streets, theres a business angle to everything, and i pay close attention to the business side of things. in fact, even in my quest to become a congressman, i want people to understand that i am a businessman, who has imported a billion-dollar boxing industry to the Philippines. And thats just a start. As a congressman, one of my goals is to create opportunities beyond boxing for my fellow Filipinos by helping to bring billions more in other industries and commerce. i want to build my country as i have my career. i want to live for my country. i want to bleed for my country. i will bring my ideas to create opportunities for the poorfor the people with whom i shared a path.