Manny Pacquiao

Boxer Manny Pacquiao established his place in the annals of the sport's history by becoming the first champion titleholder in eight separate weight classes. Born Dec. 17, 1978 in the Philippines province of Bukidnon, Pacquiao endured a tough childhood: a broken home and extreme poverty forced him to leave school and fend for himself on the streets of Manila in his early teens. There, he began to box, and displayed the raw talent to land a spot on the Philippine national amateur boxing team. Pacquiao went professional at 16 and advanced quickly up the flyweight rankings, capturing his first major title in 1998 when he defeated Chatchai Sasakul to win the World Boxing Commission (WBC) and Lineal Flyweight titles. By 2003, he had successfully defended championship titles in both the superbantamweight and featherweight classes, which made him the first Filipino and Asian three-division world champion, before moving up to superfeatherweight and defeating such formidable fighters as Erik Morales, Oscar Larios and Juan Manuel Marquez in repeat bouts. In 2008, Pacquiao became the first Filipino and Asian five-division world champion by taking down David Diaz in the lightweight division, and ended the legendary Oscar De La Hoya's career with a knockout in the welterweight division that same year. By this time, he was established as a national hero as well as a congressman and action movie star in his native country, but boxing remained Pacquiao's primary focus, and he maintained his status through acclaimed fights against such top talents as Ricky Hatton, Shane Moseley, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. The latter proved to be one of the most controversial fights in Pacquiao's career due to what was perceived as a failure to disclose a shoulder injury incurred prior to the bout which was considered to be a contributing factor to his loss.