Manny Pacquaio taught himself how to box by watching the ferociousness of a superstar, Mike Tyson, as a youngster.
Pacquiao wouldn’t be the legend he is today without Tyson influencing his astonishing career during the 1980s.
The eight-weight world champion learned the fundamentals of how to box by studying old tapes of Tyson back in the day. ‘Pacman’ honed his skills by watching the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ punching holes in people during the 1980s.
Born in 1978, a young Pacquiao was mesmerized as Tyson ripped through the division when the Filipino was still just a boy. Tyson’s rise significantly impacted Pacquiao, as explained by his family members. Those who witnessed the birth of a legend.
“Manny had great self-discipline. He learns everything so fast. He practiced all the time, and he would get up at 4 am to go jogging,” said Uncle Sardo Mejia to Red Door Media. “I used to go out and rent videotapes of Mike Tyson fights and show them to him. He picked up the tactics so quickly.”
Despite the apparent love of boxing, it wasn’t the first-choice career move for Pacquiao’s beloved mother.
“At first, she didn’t want her son to be a boxer. She said, “I want him to be a priest. But Manny told me he wanted to become a boxer because his family was very poor. He had no money to study at school or college,” added Sardo.
Another of the WBA champ’s uncles, Benito Bequilla, says that Manny is still just Manny despite his wealth and great prominence in his homeland.
“He’s just the same as he always was,” pointed out Benito. “God has given Manny all the love and grace. He always cares for his family and his relatives. I think the world of this man.”
Father Rosalio echoed how his son likes to care for anyone in need.
“Sometimes, it’s hard for me to believe all this is real. Before, we only ate bananas. Now we can eat anything we want to eat,” stated Rosalio. “Our life was very tough when Manny was young. Most of the time, we had only bananas and root crops to eat. But when I made more money, I ensured my family ate rice.”
Pacquiao is now a multi-millionaire, earning nine figures when fighting Floyd Mayweather in 2015. He can still demand six zeroes, even in retirement, if he fights exhibitions.
Ironically, Mayweather and Tyson are two of the main protagonists of the new era of boxing’s involvement in sports entertainment, with Jake Paul on the horizon and something due any day from the latter.
However, Pacquiao could no longer give the top welterweights in the world any trouble due to his inactivity and non-starter comeback.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
