Manny Pacquiao’s best fights ranked as boxing legend hints he may finally retire

Ahead of his upcoming fight against Yordenis Ugas, the legendary Manny Pacquiao has finally started to hint that the end of his storied career may be nigh.

Throughout his decade-spanning career, Pacquiao has done it all, and then some.

World titles in eight weight divisions. Enormous paydays. Wins (and losses) to some of the biggest names and brightest talents in boxing history.

Quite simply, there are very few men that have achieved what the Pac-Man has in the boxing ring.

So, to celebrate the potential end of Pacquiao’s sensational time as a professional boxer, here are 5 of the greatest fights of his career.

1. Manny Pacquiao vs Juan Manuel Marquez IV

The greatest fight of Pacquiao’s legendary career is a loss?

Well, yes.

Pacquiao’s rivalry with Juan Manuel Marquez is among the greatest in boxing history.

Not because the pair despised each other, or because of some controversial out-of-the-ring antics, but simply because it produced four outstanding fights.

The first saw an extraordinary comeback from Marquez to salvage a draw. The second was contested at a ridiculously high technical standard. The third saw controversy as Pacquiao was awarded a majority decision.

And the fourth had everything.

After a close first two rounds, Marquez stunned the Las Vegas crowd by dropping Pacquiao for the first time in their four-fight rivalry.

The Pac-Man returned to his feet swiftly but was clearly hurt and kept his distance for the rest of the round. The fourth was more of the same, as Pacquiao remained cautious and looked to continue recovering.

In the fifth, the bout exploded into life and it remains arguably the best round of Pacquiao’s career.

After sending Marquez to the canvas with a peach of a left hand just a minute into the round, Pacquiao looked ready to finish the fight and seal his third win over the Mexican.

Instead, he walked into a vicious right hand and was wobbled by Marquez.

What do you think is the greatest fight of Manny Pacquiao's career? Let us know in the comments section below.

The pair would continue trading for the rest of the round, with Pacquiao landing the more powerful shots.

With just 30 seconds remaining in the round, Pacquiao threw the kitchen sink at Marquez and uncorked a series of brutal right and left hands, one of which broke the Mexican’s nose.

Pacquiao continued the onslaught into the sixth round and consistently landed powerful punches on the bloodied Marquez.

Just as the tide was beginning to turn, 10 seconds before the end of the round, Pacquiao landed yet another sensational left that appeared to wobble Marquez again.

Pacquiao poured on more pressure but left himself open to a counter, and that’s exactly what happened.

Marquez unleashed the perfect right hand that sent Pacquiao face-first into the canvas, just as the final bell rang.

The MGM Grand crowd rose to their feet, stunned at what had happened.

Referee Kenny Bayless had a look at Pacquiao and immediately called the bout off.

Marquez ran to the corner to celebrate while Pacquiao remained slumped on the canvas, having been knocked out for the first time in 13 years.

The bout was a reminder of everything we love about the Pac-Man.

Brilliant, vulnerable, and absurdly entertaining.

What a fight.

2. Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto

While perhaps not his most famous performance, Pacquiao’s bout with Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto was an absolute barnburner.

Cotto entered the bout as the betting underdog, both due to his recent loss to Antonio Margarito (after which it was found that Margarito had placed a plaster-like substance inside his hand wraps), and Pacquiao’s absurd 10-fight win streak prior.

Despite this, Pacquiao was still the decidedly smaller man and even with his blistering speed and devastating power, Cotto presented a serious challenge for the Pac-Man.

For the opening few rounds, the bout was close. Cotto was defensively responsible and used his excellent jab to constantly pressure Pacquiao.

However, in the third round, Pacquiao’s speed started to tell, and just 30 seconds into the round, Cotto had hit the canvas for the first time after a flurry from the Filipino.

While the Puerto Rican appeared to be fine, and would arguably have more success for the rest of the round, Pacquiao would stun the arena when he sent Cotto to the canvas again with a wicked left hand a round later.

This time, Cotto was in serious trouble and was fortunate that the round ended moments after the knockdown.

Pacquiao would continue dealing damage in the rounds that followed, and while Cotto never stopped coming forward and having success of his own, for every punch he dodged, there were two more that connected.

By the end of the eighth, he was bruised and battered all over and by the end of the ninth, blood was dripping from his face to the canvas.

After the assault continued in the tenth and eleventh rounds, Cotto’s coach Joe Santiago looked set to throw in the towel and end the fight.

Cotto told him not to, but the fight was mercifully called off early into the twelfth round.

The Puerto Rican had given everything, but ultimately was not good enough.

Pacquiao had picked up a world title in his seventh weight class and had produced yet another legendary fight.

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3. Manny Pacquiao vs Ricky Hatton

While perhaps not the greatest fight, Pacquiao’s performance against Britain’s Ricky Hatton was about as flawless as it gets.

Over two rounds against the tough-as-nails Hitman, Pacquiao landed 73 punches compared to Hatton’s 18.

In the opening round, Hatton set about constantly walking down the Filipino and regularly charged at Pacquiao. In the process, he walked into a series of brutal right hands and was dropped twice in the final minute of the opening round.

While he was able to dust himself off and return in the second, it would only go from bad to worse.

Hatton again came forward and, as Adam Smith said on commentary, was a “victim of his own aggression.”

With just 10 seconds left in the round, Pacquiao delivered a perfect left hook that landed right on the chin of Hatton.

Just as Pacquiao had done again Marquez, Hatton collapsed on the canvas and was totally unconscious. Referee Kenny Bayless later claimed that he knew Hatton was done then and there, and “didn’t have to count.”

Pacquiao had picked up yet another flawless victory, and produced perhaps the most sensational knockout of his 26-year career.

4. Manny Pacquiao vs Oscar De La Hoya

Billed as the ‘Dream Match’, Pacquiao’s bout against Oscar De La Hoya saw the Filipino step up to 145lbs, having only competed above 130lbs once.

While De La Hoya was entering the twilight of his career, many believed that his size and power would simply be too much for the Pac-Man to overcome and that, eventually Pacquiao would be knocked out.

Instead, Pacquiao produced a genuinely sensational performance, as he constantly feinted, put together wicked combinations, and made it impossible for De La Hoya to use his famed jab.

By the eighth round, De La Hoya was a beaten mess as he had absolutely no answer for Pacquiao’s speed and power. At the end of the round, referee Tony Weeks had seen enough and called the bout off.

While Pacquiao’s performance was outstanding, De La Hoya was slightly past his best and, having recently competed at middleweight, looked like a skeleton after cutting to welterweight.

However, make no mistake, the fight was an excellent one and was perhaps the first indication that the old adage of ‘weight classes exist for a reason’ didn’t apply to Pacquiao.

5. Manny Pacquiao vs Antonio Margarito

If the De La Hoya fight suggested that weight classes didn’t apply to Pacquiao, then the Margarito fight proved it.

With a 5.5-inch gap in height and an absurd 17lb weight difference on fight night, Pacquiao entered the bout as the far, far smaller man.

But it didn’t matter one bit.

Throughout the bout, Pacquiao dismantled and demolished the Tijuana Tornado, landing a staggering 58% of his power punches and winning a landslide decision on all three judges’ scorecards.

Despite the enormous difference in size, Pacquiao fractured Margarito’s right orbital bone and left the Mexican with lasting injuries following the fight.

It was a shocking and, at times, disturbing performance from Pacquiao, who utterly destroyed a man who clearly shouldn’t have been sharing the boxing ring with him.

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