After 73 professional fights and championships across eight weight divisions, Manny Pacquiao has no shortage of legendary nights to choose from. Yet when asked to name the single toughest fight of his storied career, the Filipino icon did not hesitate. For Pacquiao, one bout clearly stands alone.
“The Marquez fight,” Pacquiao said. “Marquez two.”
It was the second instalment of his famous rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez, a fiercely contested split-decision win that pushed Pacquiao to his absolute limits. Despite winning the fight, it remains the bout he still points to as the most physically and mentally demanding of his career.
Pacquiao’s reflection came ahead of his July return to the ring, when the 47-year-old attempted to make history once again by challenging Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title. That contest ended in a draw, falling short of Pacquiao’s aim to become the oldest welterweight world champion, but it only strengthened his desire to continue.
Rather than viewing the result as a final chapter, Pacquiao has taken it as motivation. The draw convinced him he still belongs at world level, and he has since been linked with further title opportunities against champions such as Rolando Romero and Devin Haney, depending on how the welterweight picture unfolds.
There has also been renewed talk of a lucrative rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., nearly a decade after their historic showdown. But while Pacquiao continues to chase future milestones, his words make clear that when it comes to sheer difficulty, nothing ever eclipsed the night he shared the ring with Marquez for a second time.
Image Credit: BBC