Manny Pacquiao took his rightful place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) over the weekend.
But unlike the rest of the class of 2025, his career isn’t over just yet.
The 46-year-old is gearing up to return to the ring for the first time in four years against Mario Barrios in a controversial WBC welterweight title clash on July 19.
Pacquiao looked like a shadow of his former self in his last outing against Yordenis Ugas back in August 2021.
Yet the WBC have chosen to rank ‘Pacman’ at No.5 in their 147lbs ratings while simultaneously sanctioning him to face a champion that is 16 years his junior.
Regardless of what happens in the ring next month, Pacquiao’s legacy is cemented.
And on Sunday, he joined former foes Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in the IBHOF with a ceremony at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York.
Fighting back tears in an emotional induction speech, Pacquiao recounted his remarkable journey from the poverty-stricken streets of the Philippines to the top of the world.
“I came from nothing. Just a small boy from the streets of General Santos City. No shoes. No food. No chance,” he said.
“Just a dream in my heart. I know hunger. I know pain. I know what it means to be counted out.
“But I also know what God can do when you keep the faith and never give up…
“Boxing gave me a way out. It turned my struggles into strength, my failures into lessons. And my pain into purpose…
“It was not just for me but for my family, for the Filipino people, and to all the fans, and for the glory of our God.
“I never chase greatness. I just worked hard to be better than the Manny Pacquiao I was yesterday.
“I never picked the easy fights. I chose the hard ones.
“I moved up weight one after weight, not to protect a record but to test my limits.”
The Filipino boxing legend became the first, and to date only, fighter to win world titles in eight separate weight classes.
Pacquiao started his career at flyweight (106lbs), and picked up belts all the way up to super welterweight (154lbs) over the course of four decades.
Along the way, he beat a who’s who of boxing greats, including De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales, while he was rarely in a dull fight.
