Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Imagecaption	Yusuf Ahmed (''left'') throws an uppercut on Rafael Ortiz (''right'').
Name	Boxing| aka Pugilism, English boxing, Western Boxing, Sweet Science, Gentleman's Sport
Focus	Punching strikes
Country	Greece (Ancient Boxing) United Kingdom (Modern Boxing)
Olympic	Since 688 B.C.
Creator	Various fighters
Parenthood	Unknown }}

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds. The match ends, when an opponent is knocked out or deemed incapable to continue match by a referee (Technical Knockout), if an opponent is disqualified for breaking a rule, resigning by throwing in a towel, or by judges' scorecards at the end of the bout. There are two forms of boxing, amateur and professional.

The birth hour of boxing as a sport may be its acceptance by the ancient Greeks as an Olympic game as early as 688 BC. Modern boxing evolved in Europe, particularly Great Britain.

Early history

Fist fighting depicted in Sumerian relief carvings from the 3rd millennium BC, while an ancient Egyptian relief from the 2nd millennium BC depicts both fist-fighters and spectators. Both depictions show bare-fisted contests. Other depictions can be seen in Assyrian, Babylonian and Hittite art. The earliest evidence for fist fighting with any kind of gloves can be found on Minoan Crete (c. 1500–900 BC), and on Sardinia, if we consider the boxing statues of Prama mountains (c. 2000–1000 BC).

Modern boxing

Broughton's rules (1743)

Records of Classical boxing activity disappeared after the fall of the Western Roman Empire when the wearing of weapons became common once again and interest in fighting with the fists waned. However, there are detailed records of various fist-fighting sports that were maintained in different cities and provinces of Italy between the 12th and 17th centuries. There was also a sport in ancient Rus called Fistfight. As the wearing of swords became less common, there was renewed interest in fencing with the fists. The sport would later resurface in England during the early 16th century in the form of bare-knuckle boxing sometimes referred to as prizefighting. The first documented account of a bare-knuckle fight in England appeared in 1681 in the ''London Protestant Mercury'', and the first English bare-knuckle champion was James Figg in 1719. This is also the time when the word "boxing" first came to be used. It should be noted, that this earliest form of modern boxing was very different. Contests in Mr. Figg's time, in addition to fistfighting, also contained fencing and cudgeling. On 6 January 1681, the first recorded boxing match took place in Britain when Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle (and later Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica) engineered a bout between his butler and his butcher with the latter winning the prize.

Early fighting had no written rules. There were no weight divisions or round limits, and no referee. In general, it was extremely chaotic. The first boxing rules, called the Broughton's rules, were introduced by heavyweight champion Jack Broughton in 1743 to protect fighters in the ring where deaths sometimes occurred. Under these rules, if a man went down and could not continue after a count of 30 seconds, the fight was over. Hitting a downed fighter and grasping below the waist were prohibited. Broughton also invented and encouraged the use of "mufflers", a form of padded gloves, which were used in training and exhibitions. The first paper on boxing was published in the late 18th century by successful Birmingham boxer 'William Futrell' who remained undefeated until his one hour and seventeen minute fight at Smitham Bottom, Croydon, on July 9, 1788 against a much younger "Gentleman" John Jackson which was attended by the Prince of Wales. These rules did allow the fighters an advantage not enjoyed by today's boxers: They permitted the fighter to drop to one knee to begin a 30-second count at any time. Thus a fighter realizing he was in trouble had an opportunity to recover. However, this was considered "unmanly" and was frequently disallowed by additional rules negotiated by the Seconds of the Boxers. Intentionally going down in modern boxing will cause the recovering fighter to lose points in the scoring system. Furthermore, as the contestants did not have heavy leather gloves and wristwraps to protect their hands, a certain amount of restraint was required when striking the head.

London Prize Ring rules (1838)

In 1838, the London Prize Ring rules were codified. Later revised in 1853, they stipulated the following:

Fights occurred in a -square ring surrounded by ropes.

If a fighter was knocked down, he had to rise within 30 seconds under his own power to be allowed to continue.

Biting, headbutting and hitting below the belt were declared fouls.

Marquess of Queensberry rules (1867)

In 1867, the Marquess of Queensberry rules were drafted by John Chambers for amateur championships held at Lillie Bridge in London for Lightweights, Middleweights and Heavyweights. The rules were published under the patronage of the Marquess of Queensberry, whose name has always been associated with them.

There were twelve rules in all, and they specified that fights should be "a fair stand-up boxing match" in a 24-foot-square or similar ring. Rounds were three minutes long with one minute rest intervals between rounds. Each fighter was given a ten-second count if he was knocked down and wrestling was banned.

The introduction of gloves of "fair-size" also changed the nature of the bouts. An average pair of boxing gloves resembles a bloated pair of mittens and are laced up around the wrists. The gloves can be used to block an opponent's blows. As a result of their introduction, bouts became longer and more strategic with greater importance attached to defensive maneuvers such as slipping, bobbing, countering and angling. Because less defensive emphasis was placed on the use of the forearms and more on the gloves, the classical forearms outwards, torso leaning back stance of the bare knuckle boxer was modified to a more modern stance in which the torso is tilted forward and the hands are held closer to the face.

Prohibition

Through the late nineteenth century, boxing or prizefighting was primarily a sport of dubious legitimacy. Outlawed in England and much of the United States, prizefights were often held at gambling venues and broken up by police. Brawling and wrestling tactics continued, and riots at prizefights were common occurrences. Still, throughout this period, there arose some notable bare knuckle champions who developed fairly sophisticated fighting tactics.

The English case of ''R v. Coney'' in 1882 found that a bare-knuckle fight was an assault occasioning actual bodily harm, despite the consent of the participants. This marked the end of widespread public bare-knuckle contests in England.

The first world heavyweight champion under the Queensberry Rules was "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, who defeated John L. Sullivan in 1892 at the Pelican Athletic Club in New Orleans.

Throughout the early twentieth century, boxers struggled to achieve legitimacy, aided by the influence of promoters like Tex Rickard and the popularity of great champions from John L. Sullivan to Jack Dempsey. Shortly after this era, boxing commissions and other sanctioning bodies were established to regulate the sport and establish universally recognized champions.

Rules

The ''Marquess of Queensberry rules'' have been the general rules governing modern boxing since their publication in 1867.

A boxing match typically consists of a determined number of three-minute rounds, a total of up to 12 rounds (formerly 15). A minute is typically spent between each round with the fighters in their assigned corners receiving advice and attention from their coach and staff. The fight is controlled by a referee who works within the ring to judge and control the conduct of the fighters, rule on their ability to fight safely, count knocked-down fighters, and rule on fouls. Up to three judges are typically present at ringside to score the bout and assign points to the boxers, based on punches that connect, defense, knockdowns, and other, more subjective, measures. Because of the open-ended style of boxing judging, many fights have controversial results, in which one or both fighters believe they have been "robbed" or unfairly denied a victory. Each fighter has an assigned corner of the ring, where his or her coach, as well as one or more "seconds" may administer to the fighter at the beginning of the fight and between rounds. Each boxer enters into the ring from their assigned corners at the beginning of each round and must cease fighting and return to their corner at the signaled end of each round.

A bout in which the predetermined number of rounds passes is decided by the judges, and is said to "go the distance". The fighter with the higher score at the end of the fight is ruled the winner. With three judges, unanimous and split decisions are possible, as are draws. A boxer may win the bout before a decision is reached through a knockout; such bouts are said to have ended "inside the distance". If a fighter is knocked down during the fight, determined by whether the boxer touches the canvas floor of the ring with any part of their body other than the feet as a result of the opponent's punch and not a slip, as determined by the referee, the referee begins counting until the fighter returns to his or her feet and can continue. Should the referee count to ten, then the knocked-down boxer is ruled "knocked out" (whether unconscious or not) and the other boxer is ruled the winner by knockout (KO). A "technical knockout" (TKO) is possible as well, and is ruled by the referee, fight doctor, or a fighter's corner if a fighter is unable to safely continue to fight, based upon injuries or being judged unable to effectively defend themselves. Many jurisdictions and sanctioning agencies also have a "three-knockdown rule", in which three knockdowns in a given round result in a TKO. A TKO is considered a knockout in a fighter's record. A "standing eight" count rule may also be in effect. This gives the referee the right to step in and administer a count of eight to a fighter that he feels may be in danger, even if no knockdown has taken place. After counting the referee will observe the fighter, and decide if he is fit to continue. For scoring purposes, a standing eight count is treated as a knockdown.

In general, boxers are prohibited from hitting below the belt, holding, tripping, pushing, biting, or spitting. The boxer's shorts are raised so the opponent is not allowed to hit to the groin area with intent to cause pain or injury. Failure to abide by the former may result in a foul or wallet slap. They also are prohibited from kicking, head-butting, or hitting with any part of the arm other than the knuckles of a closed fist (including hitting with the elbow, shoulder or forearm, as well as with open gloves, the wrist, the inside, back or side of the hand). They are prohibited as well from hitting the back, back of the neck or head (called a "rabbit-punch") or the kidneys. They are prohibited from holding the ropes for support when punching, holding an opponent while punching, or ducking below the belt of their opponent (dropping below the waist of your opponent, no matter the distance between). If a "clinch" – a defensive move in which a boxer wraps his or her opponents arms and holds on to create a pause – is broken by the referee, each fighter must take a full step back before punching again (alternatively, the referee may direct the fighters to "punch out" of the clinch). When a boxer is knocked down, the other boxer must immediately cease fighting and move to the furthest neutral corner of the ring until the referee has either ruled a knockout or called for the fight to continue.

Violations of these rules may be ruled "fouls" by the referee, who may issue warnings, deduct points, or disqualify an offending boxer, causing an automatic loss, depending on the seriousness and intentionality of the foul. An intentional foul that causes injury that prevents a fight from continuing usually causes the boxer who committed it to be disqualified. A fighter who suffers an accidental low-blow may be given up to five minutes to recover, after which they may be ruled knocked out if they are unable to continue. Accidental fouls that cause injury ending a bout may lead to a "no contest" result, or else cause the fight to go to a decision if enough rounds (typically four or more, or at least three in a four-round fight) have passed.

Unheard of these days, but common during the early 20th Century in North America, a "newspaper decision (NWS)" might be made after a no decision bout had ended. A "no decision" bout occurred when, by law or by pre-arrangement of the fighters, if both boxers were still standing at the fight's conclusion and there was no knockout, no official decision was rendered and neither boxer was declared the winner. But this did not prevent the pool of ringside newspaper reporters from declaring a consensus result among themselves and printing a newspaper decision in their publications. Officially, however, a "no decision" bout resulted in neither boxer winning or losing. Boxing historians sometimes use these unofficial newspaper decisions in compiling fight records for illustrative purposes only. Often, media outlets covering a match will personally score the match, and post their scores as an independent sentence in their report.

Professional vs. amateur boxing

Throughout the 17th through 19th centuries, boxing bouts were motivated by money, as the fighters competed for prize money, promoters controlled the gate, and spectators bet on the result. The modern Olympic movement revived interest in amateur sports, and amateur boxing became an Olympic sport in 1908. In their current form, Olympic and other amateur bouts are typically limited to three or four rounds, scoring is computed by points based on the number of clean blows landed, regardless of impact, and fighters wear protective headgear, reducing the number of injuries, knockdowns, and knockouts. Currently scoring blows in amateur boxing are subjectively counted by ringside judges, but the Australian Institute for Sport has demonstrated a prototype of an Automated Boxing Scoring System, which introduces scoring objectivity, improves safety, and arguably makes the sport more interesting to spectators. Professional boxing remains by far the most popular form of the sport globally, though amateur boxing is dominant in Cuba and some former Soviet republics. For most fighters, an amateur career, especially at the Olympics, serves to develop skills and gain experience in preparation for a professional career.

Amateur boxing

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Amateur boxing may be found at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sanctioned by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing has a point scoring system that measures the number of clean blows landed rather than physical damage. Bouts consist of three rounds of three minutes in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and three rounds of three minutes in a national ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) bout, each with a one-minute interval between rounds.

Competitors wear protective headgear and gloves with a white strip across the knuckle. A punch is considered a scoring punch only when the boxers connect with the white portion of the gloves. Each punch that lands cleanly on the head or torso with sufficient force is awarded a point. A referee monitors the fight to ensure that competitors use only legal blows. A belt worn over the torso represents the lower limit of punches – any boxer repeatedly landing low blows (below the belt) is disqualified. Referees also ensure that the boxers don't use holding tactics to prevent the opponent from swinging. If this occurs, the referee separates the opponents and orders them to continue boxing. Repeated holding can result in a boxer being penalized or ultimately disqualified. Referees will stop the bout if a boxer is seriously injured, if one boxer is significantly dominating the other or if the score is severely imbalanced. Amateur bouts which end this way may be noted as "RSC" (referee stopped contest) with notations for an outclassed opponent (RSCO), outscored opponent (RSCOS), injury (RSCI) or head injury (RSCH).

Professional boxing

Professional bouts are usually much longer than amateur bouts, typically ranging from ten to twelve rounds, though four round fights are common for less experienced fighters or club fighters. There are also some two- and three-round professional bouts, especially in Australia. Through the early twentieth century, it was common for fights to have unlimited rounds, ending only when one fighter quit, benefiting high-energy fighters like Jack Dempsey. Fifteen rounds remained the internationally recognized limit for championship fights for most of the twentieth century until the early 1980s, when the death of boxer Duk Koo Kim reduced the limit to twelve.

Headgear is not permitted in professional bouts, and boxers are generally allowed to take much more punishment before a fight is halted. At any time, however, the referee may stop the contest if he believes that one participant cannot defend himself due to injury. In that case, the other participant is awarded a technical knockout win. A technical knockout would also be awarded if a fighter lands a punch that opens a cut on the opponent, and the opponent is later deemed not fit to continue by a doctor because of the cut. For this reason, fighters often employ cutmen, whose job is to treat cuts between rounds so that the boxer is able to continue despite the cut. If a boxer simply quits fighting, or if his corner stops the fight, then the winning boxer is also awarded a technical knockout victory. In contrast with amateur boxing, professional male boxers have to be bare chested.

Boxing styles

Definition of Style

"Style" is often defined as the strategic approach a fighter takes during a bout. No two fighters' styles are alike, as it is determined by that individual's physical and mental attributes.

Boxer/out-fighter

A classic "boxer" or stylist (also known as an "out-fighter") seeks to maintain distance between himself and his opponent, fighting with faster, longer range punches, most notably the jab, and gradually wearing his opponent down. Due to this reliance on weaker punches, out-fighters tend to win by point decisions rather than by knockout, though some out-fighters have notable knockout records. They are often regarded as the best boxing strategists due to their ability to control the pace of the fight and lead their opponent, methodically wearing him down and exhibiting more skill and finesse than a brawler. Out-fighters need reach, hand speed, reflexes, and footwork.

Notable out-fighters include Muhammad Ali, Salvador Sanchez, Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles, Willie Pep, Meldrick Taylor, Ricardo Lopez, Larry Holmes, Roy Jones, Jr., Joe Calzaghe, and Sugar Ray Leonard. This style was also used by fictional boxer Apollo Creed.

Boxer-puncher

A boxer-puncher is a well-rounded boxer who is able to fight at close range with a combination of technique and power, often with the ability to knock opponents out with a combination and in some instances a single shot. Their movement and tactics are similar to that of an out-fighter (although they are generally not as mobile as an out-fighter), but instead of winning by decision, they tend to wear their opponents down using combinations and then move in to score the knockout. A boxer must be well rounded to be effective using this style.

Notable punchers include Nonito Donaire, Sam Langford, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Tony Zale, Archie Moore, Carlos Monzón Alexis Argüello, Erik Morales, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Oscar de la Hoya, Terry Norris, James Toney, Marco Antonio Barrera, Manny Pacquiao, Thomas Hearns, Miguel Cotto and Victor Ortiz

Brawler/slugger

A brawler is a fighter who generally lacks finesse and footwork in the ring, but makes up for it through sheer punching power. Mainly Irish, Irish-American, Mexican, and Mexican-American boxers popularized this style. Many brawlers tend to lack mobility, preferring a less mobile, more stable platform and have difficulty pursuing fighters who are fast on their feet. They may also have a tendency to ignore combination punching in favour of continuous beat-downs with one hand and by throwing slower, more powerful single punches (such as hooks and uppercuts). Their slowness and predictable punching pattern (single punches with obvious leads) often leaves them open to counter punches, so successful brawlers must be able to absorb substantial amounts of punishment. A brawler's most important assets are power and chin (the ability to absorb punishment while remaining able to continue boxing). Examples of this style include Max Baer, Ray Mancini, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, David Tua, Arturo Gatti, "Irish" Micky Ward, Michael Katsidis, James Kirkland, and Ireland's John Duddy. This style of boxing was also used by fictional boxer Rocky Balboa.

Swarmers/in-fighter

In-fighters/swarmers (sometimes called "pressure fighters") attempt to stay close to an opponent, throwing intense flurries and combinations of hooks and uppercuts. A successful in-fighter often needs a good "chin" because swarming usually involves being hit with many jabs before they can maneuver inside where they are more effective. In-fighters operate best at close range because they are generally shorter and have less reach than their opponents and thus are more effective at a short distance where the longer arms of their opponents make punching awkward. However, several fighters tall for their division have been relatively adept at in-fighting as well as out-fighting. The essence of a swarmer is non-stop aggression. Many short in-fighters utilize their stature to their advantage, employing a bob-and-weave defense by bending at the waist to slip underneath or to the sides of incoming punches. Unlike blocking, causing an opponent to miss a punch disrupts his balance, permits forward movement past the opponent's extended arm and keeps the hands free to counter. A distinct advantage that in-fighters have is when throwing uppercuts where they can channel their entire bodyweight behind the punch; Mike Tyson was famous for throwing devastating uppercuts. Julio César Chávez was known for his hard "chin", punching power, body attack and the stalking of his opponents. Some in-fighters, like Mike Tyson, have been known for being notoriously hard to hit. The key to a swarmer is aggression, endurance, chin, and bobbing-and-weaving.

Notable in-fighters include Mike Tyson, Harry Greb, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Jake LaMotta, David Tua, Ricky Hatton and Julio César Chávez; this style was also used by fictional boxer Makunouchi Ippo.

Counter puncher

Counter punchers are slippery, defensive style fighters who often rely on their opponent's mistakes in order to gain the advantage whether it be on the score cards or more preferably a knockout. They use their well rounded defense to avoid or block shots and then immediately catch the opponent off guard with a well placed and timed punch. Thus, fighting against counter punchers requires constant feinting and never telegraphing a punch for the counter puncher to generate a good offense from. To be successful using this style they must have good reflexes, intelligence, punch accuracy, and good hand speed.

Notable counter punchers include Laszlo Papp, Jerry Quarry, Chris Byrd, Bernard Hopkins, Vitali Klitschko, James Toney, Marvin Hagler, Evander Holyfield, Juan Manuel Márquez, Humberto Soto, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Roger Mayweather, Pernell Whitaker, and Max Schmeling.

Combinations of styles

All fighters have primary skills with which they feel most comfortable, but truly elite fighters are often able to incorporate auxiliary styles when presented with a particular challenge. For example, an out-fighter will sometimes plant his feet and counter punch, or a slugger may have the stamina to pressure fight with his power punches.

Style matchups

There is a generally accepted rule of thumb about the success each of these boxing styles has against the others. In general, an in-fighter has an advantage over an out-fighter, an out-fighter has an advantage over a puncher, and a puncher has an advantage over an in-fighter; these form a cycle with each style being stronger relative to one, and weaker relative to another, with none dominating, as in rock-paper-scissors. Naturally, many other factors, such as the skill level and training of the combatants, determine the outcome of a fight, but the widely held belief in this relationship among the styles is embodied in the cliché amongst boxing fans and writers that "styles make fights."

Brawlers tend to overcome swarmers or in-fighters because, in trying to get close to the slugger, the in-fighter will invariably have to walk straight into the guns of the much harder-hitting brawler, so, unless the former has a very good chin and the latter's stamina is poor, the brawler's superior power will carry the day. A famous example of this type of match-up advantage would be George Foreman's knockout victory over Joe Frazier. Although in-fighters struggle against heavy sluggers, they typically enjoy more success against out-fighters or boxers. Out-fighters prefer a slower fight, with some distance between themselves and the opponent. The in-fighter tries to close that gap and unleash furious flurries. On the inside, the out-fighter loses a lot of his combat effectiveness, because he cannot throw the hard punches. The in-fighter is generally successful in this case, due to his intensity in advancing on his opponent and his good agility, which makes him difficult to evade. For example, the swarming Joe Frazier, though easily dominated by the slugger George Foreman, was able to create many more problems for the boxer Muhammad Ali in their three fights. Joe Louis, after retirement, admitted that he hated being crowded, and that swarmers like untied/undefeated champ Rocky Marciano would have caused him style problems even in his prime.

The boxer or out-fighter tends to be most successful against a brawler, whose slow speed (both hand and foot) and poor technique makes him an easy target to hit for the faster out-fighter. The out-fighter's main concern is to stay alert, as the brawler only needs to land one good punch to finish the fight. If the out-fighter can avoid those power punches, he can often wear the brawler down with fast jabs, tiring him out. If he is successful enough, he may even apply extra pressure in the later rounds in an attempt to achieve a knockout. Most classic boxers, such as Muhammad Ali, enjoyed their best successes against sluggers.

An example of a style matchup was the historical fight of Julio César Chávez, a swarmer or in-fighter, against Meldrick Taylor, the boxer or out-fighter (see Chavez versus Taylor). The match was nicknamed "Thunder Meets Lightning" as an allusion to tremendous punching power of Chávez and blinding speed of Taylor. Chávez was the epitome of the "Mexican" style of boxing. He relentlessly stalked and closed in on the other fighter, ignoring whatever punishment he took for the chance to dish out his own at close range, particularly in the form of a crunching body attack that would either wear down his opponents until they collapsed in pain and exhaustion, or became too tired to defend as Chávez shifted his attack to the head and went for a knockout. During the fight, Taylor's brilliant hand and foot speed and boxing abilities gave him the early advantage, allowing him to begin building a large lead on points, but in the end, Chavez's punishment wore down Taylor and knocked him down with a tremendous right hand in the last round.

Equipment

Since boxing involves forceful, repetitive punching, precautions must be taken to prevent damage to bones in the hand. Most trainers do not allow boxers to train and spar without wrist wraps and boxing gloves. Hand wraps are used to secure the bones in the hand, and the gloves are used to protect the hands from blunt injury, allowing boxers to throw punches with more force than if they did not utilize them. Gloves have been required in competition since the late nineteenth century, though modern boxing gloves are much heavier than those worn by early twentieth-century fighters. Prior to a bout, both boxers agree upon the weight of gloves to be used in the bout, with the understanding that lighter gloves allow heavy punchers to inflict more damage. The brand of gloves can also affect the impact of punches, so this too is usually stipulated before a bout. A mouth guard is important to protect the teeth and gums from injury, and to cushion the jaw, resulting in a decreased chance of knockout.

Boxers practice their skills on two basic types of punching bags. A small, tear-drop-shaped "speed bag" is used to hone reflexes and repetitive punching skills, while a large cylindrical "heavy bag" filled with sand, a synthetic substitute, or water is used to practice power punching and body blows. In addition to these distinctive pieces of equipment, boxers also utilize sport-nonspecific training equipment to build strength, speed, agility, and stamina. Common training equipment includes free weights, rowing machines, jump rope, and medicine balls.

Technique

Stance

The modern boxing stance differs substantially from the typical boxing stances of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The modern stance has a more upright vertical-armed guard, as opposed to the more horizontal, knuckles-facing-forward guard adopted by early 20th century hook users such as Jack Johnson.

In a fully upright stance, the boxer stands with the legs shoulder-width apart and the rear foot a half-step in front of the lead man. Right-handed or orthodox boxers lead with the left foot and fist (for most penetration power). Both feet are parallel, and the right heel is off the ground. The lead (left) fist is held vertically about six inches in front of the face at eye level. The rear (right) fist is held beside the chin and the elbow tucked against the ribcage to protect the body. The chin is tucked into the chest to avoid punches to the jaw which commonly cause knock-outs and is often kept slightly offcenter. Wrists are slightly bent to avoid damage when punching and the elbows are kept tucked in to protect the ribcage. Some boxers fight from a crouch, leaning forward and keeping their feet closer together. The stance described is considered the "textbook" stance and fighters are encouraged to change it around once its been mastered as a base. Case in point, many fast fighters have their hands down and have almost exaggerated footwork, while brawlers or bully fighters tend to slowly stalk their opponents.

Left-handed or southpaw fighters use a mirror image of the orthodox stance, which can create problems for orthodox fighters unaccustomed to receiving jabs, hooks, or crosses from the opposite side. The southpaw stance, conversely, is vulnerable to a straight right hand.

North American fighters tend to favor a more balanced stance, facing the opponent almost squarely, while many European fighters stand with their torso turned more to the side. The positioning of the hands may also vary, as some fighters prefer to have both hands raised in front of the face, risking exposure to body shots.

Modern boxers can sometimes be seen tapping their cheeks or foreheads with their fists in order to remind themselves to keep their hands up (which becomes difficult during long bouts). Boxers are taught to push off with their feet in order to move effectively. Forward motion involves lifting the lead leg and pushing with the rear leg. Rearward motion involves lifting the rear leg and pushing with the lead leg. During lateral motion the leg in the direction of the movement moves first while the opposite leg provides the force needed to move the body.

Punches

There are four basic punches in boxing: the jab, straight right/left hand, hook and uppercut. If a boxer is right-handed (orthodox), his left hand is the lead hand and his right hand is the rear hand. For a left-handed boxer or southpaw, the hand positions are reversed. For clarity, the following discussion will assume a right-handed boxer.

Jab – A quick, straight punch thrown with the lead hand from the guard position. The jab is accompanied by a small, clockwise rotation of the torso and hips, while the fist rotates 90 degrees, becoming horizontal upon impact. As the punch reaches full extension, the lead shoulder can be brought up to guard the chin. The rear hand remains next to the face to guard the jaw. After making contact with the target, the lead hand is retracted quickly to resume a guard position in front of the face. The jab is recognised as the most important punch in a boxer's arsenal because it provides a fair amount of its own cover and it leaves the least amount of space for a counter punch from the opponent. It has the longest reach of any punch and does not require commitment or large weight transfers. Due to its relatively weak power, the jab is often used as a tool to gauge distances, probe an opponent's defenses, harass an opponent, and set up heavier, more powerful punches. A half-step may be added, moving the entire body into the punch, for additional power. Some notable boxers who have been able to develop relative power in their jabs and use it to punish or 'wear down' their opponents to some effect include Larry Holmes and Wladimir Klitschko.

Cross – A powerful, straight punch thrown with the rear hand. From the guard position, the rear hand is thrown from the chin, crossing the body and traveling towards the target in a straight line. The rear shoulder is thrust forward and finishes just touching the outside of the chin. At the same time, the lead hand is retracted and tucked against the face to protect the inside of the chin. For additional power, the torso and hips are rotated counter-clockwise as the cross is thrown. Weight is also transferred from the rear foot to the lead foot, resulting in the rear heel turning outwards as it acts as a fulcrum for the transfer of weight. Body rotation and the sudden weight transfer is what gives the cross its power. Like the jab, a half-step forward may be added. After the cross is thrown, the hand is retracted quickly and the guard position resumed. It can be used to counter punch a jab, aiming for the opponent's head (or a counter to a cross aimed at the body) or to set up a hook. The cross can also follow a jab, creating the classic "one-two" combination. The cross is also called a "straight" or "right", especially if it does not cross the opponent's outstretched jab.

Hook – A semi-circular punch thrown with the lead hand to the side of the opponent's head. From the guard position, the elbow is drawn back with a horizontal fist (knuckles pointing forward) and the elbow bent. The rear hand is tucked firmly against the jaw to protect the chin. The torso and hips are rotated clockwise, propelling the fist through a tight, clockwise arc across the front of the body and connecting with the target. At the same time, the lead foot pivots clockwise, turning the left heel outwards. Upon contact, the hook's circular path ends abruptly and the lead hand is pulled quickly back into the guard position. A hook may also target the lower body and this technique is sometimes called the "rip" to distinguish it from the conventional hook to the head. The hook may also be thrown with the rear hand. Notable left hookers include: Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson, and caydos

Uppercut – A vertical, rising punch thrown with the rear hand. From the guard position, the torso shifts slightly to the right, the rear hand drops below the level of the opponent's chest and the knees are bent slightly. From this position, the rear hand is thrust upwards in a rising arc towards the opponent's chin or torso. At the same time, the knees push upwards quickly and the torso and hips rotate anti-clockwise and the rear heel turns outward, mimicking the body movement of the cross. The strategic utility of the uppercut depends on its ability to "lift" the opponent's body, setting it off-balance for successive attacks. The right uppercut followed by a left hook is a deadly combination employing the uppercut to lift the opponent's chin into a vulnerable position, then the hook to knock the opponent out.

These different punch types can be thrown in rapid succession to form combinations or "combos". The most common is the jab and cross combination, nicknamed the "one-two combo". This is usually an effective combination, because the jab blocks the opponent's view of the cross, making it easier to land cleanly and forcefully.

A large, swinging circular punch starting from a cocked-back position with the arm at a longer extension than the hook and all of the fighter's weight behind it is sometimes referred to as a "roundhouse", "haymaker", or sucker-punch. Relying on body weight and centripetal force within a wide arc, the roundhouse can be a powerful blow, but it is often a wild and uncontrolled punch that leaves the fighter delivering it off balance and with an open guard. Wide, looping punches have the further disadvantage of taking more time to deliver, giving the opponent ample warning to react and counter. For this reason, the haymaker or roundhouse is not a conventional punch, and is regarded by trainers as a mark of poor technique or desperation. Sometimes it has been used, because of its immense potential power, to finish off an already staggering opponent who seems unable or unlikely to take advantage of the poor position it leaves the puncher in.

Another unconventional punch is the rarely used Bolo punch, in which the opponent swings an arm out several times in a wide arc, usually as a distraction, before delivering with either that or the other arm.

Defense

There are several basic maneuvers a boxer can use in order to evade or block punches, depicted and discussed below.

Slip – Slipping rotates the body slightly so that an incoming punch passes harmlessly next to the head. As the opponent's punch arrives, the boxer sharply rotates the hips and shoulders. This turns the chin sideways and allows the punch to "slip" past. Muhammad Ali was famous for extremely fast and close slips, as was an early Mike Tyson.

Sway or fade – To anticipate a punch and move the upper body or head back so that it misses or has its force appreciably lessened. Also called "rolling with the punch" or " Riding The Punch".

Duck or break – To drop down with the back straight so that a punch aimed at the head glances or misses entirely.

Bob and weave – Bobbing moves the head laterally and beneath an incoming punch. As the opponent's punch arrives, the boxer bends the legs quickly and simultaneously shifts the body either slightly right or left. Once the punch has been evaded, the boxer "weaves" back to an upright position, emerging on either the outside or inside of the opponent's still-extended arm. To move outside the opponent's extended arm is called "bobbing to the outside". To move inside the opponent's extended arm is called "bobbing to the inside". Joe Frazier, Jack Dempsey, Mike Tyson and Rocky Marciano were masters of bobbing and weaving.

Parry/block – Parrying or blocking uses the boxer's shoulder, hands or arms as defensive tools to protect against incoming attacks. A block generally receives a punch while a parry tends to deflect it. A "palm" or "cuff" is a block which intentionally takes the incoming punch on that portion of the defender's glove.

The cover-Up – Covering up is the last opportunity (other than rolling with a punch) to avoid an incoming strike to an unprotected face or body. Generally speaking, the hands are held high to protect the head and chin and the forearms are tucked against the torso to impede body shots. When protecting the body, the boxer rotates the hips and lets incoming punches "roll" off the guard. To protect the head, the boxer presses both fists against the front of the face with the forearms parallel and facing outwards. This type of guard is weak against attacks from below.

The clinch – Clinching is a form of trapping or a rough form of grappling and occurs when the distance between both fighters has closed and straight punches cannot be employed. In this situation, the boxer attempts to hold or "tie up" the opponent's hands so he is unable to throw hooks or uppercuts. To perform a clinch, the boxer loops both hands around the outside of the opponent's shoulders, scooping back under the forearms to grasp the opponent's arms tightly against his own body. In this position, the opponent's arms are pinned and cannot be used to attack. Clinching is a temporary match state and is quickly dissipated by the referee. Clinching is technically against the rules, and in amateur fights points are deducted fairly quickly for it. It is unlikely, however, to see points deducted for a clinch in professional boxing.

Guards

There are several defensive positions (guards or styles) used in boxing. Within each style, there is considerable variation among fighters, as some fighters may have their guard higher for more head protection while others have their guard lower to provide better protection against body punches. Many fighters vary their defensive style throughout a bout in order to adapt to the situation of the moment, choosing the position best suited to protect them.

Boxers who use an upright stance protect their chin with the rear hand in either the low or mixed guard styles depicted below. Crouch fighters tend to use the "peek-a-boo" style, discussed below.

Peek-a-boo – Sometimes known as the "poo", the hands are placed next to each other in front of the face (fighters tend to vary the exact positioning) and elbows are brought in tight to the body (this position can be achieved by bringing the elbows as close together while not straining yourself to do so). This defensive style is what a boxer is taught to do when he begins to box, after he gains experience he can decide to change or vary the guard. This style is middle-of-the-road style in terms of counterpunching and damage reduction. A boxer can counter punch from this stance, but it is difficult. However, there have been boxers who can do this very well. This defense covers up a fighter well, but there are holes. Hooks do damage by going around the hands and by hitting just behind the elbows. Winky Wright uses this style very well from a damage reduction stand point. Another famous example is Mike Tyson, who in his early career used the Peek-a-Boo with great success.

Cross-armed – The forearms are placed on top of each other horizontally in front of the face with the glove of one arm being on the top of the elbow of the other arm. This style is greatly varied when the back hand rises vertically. This style is the most effective for reducing head damage. The only head punch that a fighter is susceptible to is a jab to the top of the head. The body is open, but most fighters who use this style bend and lean to protect the body, but while upright and unaltered the body is there to be hit. This position is very difficult to counterpunch from, but virtually eliminates all head damage.

Philly Shell, hitman or crab – The lead arm is placed across the torso usually somewhere in between the belly button and chest and the lead hand rests on the opposite side of the fighter's torso. The back hand is placed on the side of the face. The lead shoulder is brought in tight against the side of the face. This style is used by fighters who like to counterpunch. To execute this guard a fighter must be very athletic and experienced. This style is so effective for counterpunching because it allows fighters to slip punches by rotating and dipping their upper body and causing blows to glance off the fighter. After the punch glances off, the fighter's back hand is in perfect position to hit his out-of-positioned opponent. The shoulder lean is used in this stance. To execute the shoulder lean a fighter rotates and ducks when his opponent's punch is coming towards him and then rotates back towards his opponent while his opponent is bringing his hand back. The fighter will throw a punch with his back hand as he is rotating towards his undefended opponent. The weakness to this style is that when a fighter is stationary and not rotating he is open to be hit, so a fighter must be athletic and well conditioned to effectively execute this style. To beat this style fighters like to jab their opponent's shoulder causing the shoulder and arm to be in pain and to demobilize that arm.

Boxers generally attempt to land high, fast combinations and then quickly shift position to avoid a possible response by their opponent. Strategically, the ring's centre is generally the desired position since a boxer is able to conserve movement by forcing the opponent to circle around them. When in the centre, the boxer is also less likely to be knocked backwards against the ropes surrounding the ring and cornered. Depending on the boxer's style, the centre is the desired location as cornering opponents is always a good strategy. Most fighters, though, will not move around the boxer in the center because doing so makes them vulnerable to shots thrown at good angles. Movement is the most important tool in the ring and allows the fighter to avoid punches that were not telegraphed. If a boxer is standing still, his opponent has a better chance of hitting him. A fighter anticipating a shot while stationary is less likely to be able to evade the shot than a fighter already in motion.

Less common strategies

The "rope-a-dope" strategy : Used by Muhammad Ali in his 1974 "the Rumble in the Jungle" bout against George Foreman, the rope-a-dope method involves lying back against the ropes, covering up defensively as much as possible and allowing the opponent to attempt numerous punches. The back-leaning posture, which does not cause the defending boxer to become as unbalanced as they would during normal backward movement, also maximizes the distance of the defender's head from his opponent, increasing the probability that punches will miss their intended target. Weathering the blows that do land, the defender lures the opponent into expending energy whilst conserving his/her own. If successful, the attacking opponent will eventually tire, creating defensive flaws which the boxer can exploit. In modern boxing, the rope-a-dope is generally discouraged since most opponents are not fooled by it and few boxers possess the physical toughness to withstand a prolonged, unanswered assault. Recently, however, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao skillfully used the strategy to gauge the power of welterweight titlist Miguel Cotto in November 2009. Pacquiao followed up the rope-a-dope gambit with a withering knockdown.

Bolo punch : Occasionally seen in Olympic boxing, the bolo is an arm punch which owes its power to the shortening of a circular arc rather than to transference of body weight; it tends to have more of an effect due to the surprise of the odd angle it lands at rather than the actual power of the punch. This is more of a gimmick than a technical maneuver; this punch is not taught, being on the same plane in boxing technicality as is the Ali shuffle. Nevertheless, a few professional boxers have used the bolo-punch to great effect, including former welterweight champions Sugar Ray Leonard, and Kid Gavilan. Middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia is regarded as the inventor of the bolo punch.

Overhand right : The overhand right is a punch not found in every boxer's arsenal. Unlike the right cross, which has a trajectory parallel to the ground, the overhand right has a looping circular arc as it is thrown over-the-shoulder with the palm facing away from the boxer. It is especially popular with smaller stature boxers trying to reach taller opponents. Boxers who have used this punch consistently and effectively include former heavyweight champions Rocky Marciano and Tim Witherspoon, as well as MMA champions Chuck Liddell and Fedor Emelianenko. The overhand right has become a popular weapon in other tournaments that involve fist striking.

Check hook : A check hook is employed to prevent aggressive boxers from lunging in. There are two parts to the check hook. The first part consists of a regular hook. The second, trickier part involves the footwork. As the opponent lunges in, the boxer should throw the hook and pivot on his left foot and swing his right foot 180 degrees around. If executed correctly, the aggressive boxer will lunge in and sail harmlessly past his opponent like a bull missing a matador. This is rarely seen in professional boxing as it requires a great disparity in skill level to execute. Technically speaking it has been said that there is no such thing as a check hook and that it is simply a hook applied to an opponent that has lurched forward and past his opponent who simply hooks him on the way past. Others have argued that the check hook exists but is an illegal punch due to it being a pivot punch which is illegal in the sport.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. employed the use of a check hook against Ricky Hatton, which sent Hatton flying head first into the corner post and being knocked down. Hatton managed to get himself to his feet after the knockdown but was clearly dazed and it was only a matter of moments before Mayweather landed a flurry of punches which sent Hatton crashing to the canvas, giving Mayweather a TKO victory in the 10th round and handing Hatton his first ever defeat. '''

The corner

In boxing, each fighter is given a corner of the ring where he rests in between rounds and where his trainers stand. Typically, three men stand in the corner besides the boxer himself; these are the trainer, the assistant trainer and the cutman. The trainer and assistant typically give advice to the boxer on what he is doing wrong as well as encouraging him if he is losing. The cutman is a cutaneous doctor responsible for keeping the boxer's face and eyes free of cuts and blood. This is of particular importance because many fights are stopped because of cuts that threaten the boxer's eyes.

In addition, the corner is responsible for stopping the fight if they feel their fighter is in grave danger of permanent injury. The corner will occasionally throw in a white towel to signify a boxer's surrender (the idiomatic phrase "to throw in the towel", meaning to give up, derives from this practice). This can be seen in the fight between Diego Corrales and Floyd Mayweather. In that fight, Corrales' corner surrendered despite Corrales' steadfast refusal.

Medical concerns

Knocking a person unconscious or even causing concussion may cause permanent brain damage. There is no clear division between the force required to knock a person out and the force likely to kill a person. Since 1980, more than 200 amateur boxers, professional boxers and Toughman fighters have died as the result of ring or training injuries. Thus, in 1983, the ''Journal of the American Medical Association'' called for a ban on boxing. The editor, Dr. George Lundberg, called boxing an "obscenity" that "should not be sanctioned by any civilized society." Since then, the British, Canadian and Australian Medical Associations also have called for bans on boxing.

Supporters of the ban state that boxing is the only sport where hurting the other athlete is the goal. Dr. Bill O'Neill, boxing spokesman for the British Medical Association, has supported the BMA's proposed ban on boxing: "It is the only sport where the intention is to inflict serious injury on your opponent, and we feel that we must have a total ban on boxing." In 2007, one study of amateur boxers showed that protective headgear did not prevent brain damage, and another found that amateur boxers faced a high risk of brain damage.

In 1997, the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians was established to create medical protocols through research and education to prevent injuries in boxing.

Professional boxing is forbidden in Norway, Iceland, Cuba, Iran and North Korea. It was banned in Sweden until 2007 when the ban was lifted but strict restrictions, including four three-minute rounds for fights, were imposed. It was banned in Albania from 1965 till the fall of Communism in 1991. Now it is still legal.

Boxing Hall of Fame

The sport of boxing has two internationally recognized boxing halls of fame; the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) and the World Boxing Hall of Fame (WBHF), with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized boxing hall of fame.

The WBHF was founded by Everett L. Sanders in 1980. Since its inception the WBHOF has never had a permanent location or museum, which has allowed the more recent IBHOF to garner more publicity and prestige. Among the notable names in the WBHF are Ricardo "Finito" Lopez, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, Michael Carbajal, Khaosai Galaxy, Henry Armstrong, Jack Johnson, Roberto Durán, George Foreman, Ceferino Garcia,and Salvador Sanchez. Boxing's International Hall of Fame was inspired by a tribute an American town held for two local heroes in 1982. The town, Canastota, New York, (which is about east of Syracuse, via the New York State Thruway), honored former world welterweight/middleweight champion Carmen Basilio and his nephew, former world welterweight champion Billy Backus. The people of Canastota raised money for the tribute which inspired the idea of creating an official, annual hall of fame for notable boxers.

The International Boxing Hall of Fame opened in Canastota in 1989. The first inductees in 1990 included Jack Johnson, Benny Leonard, Jack Dempsey, Henry Armstrong, Sugar Ray Robinson, Archie Moore, and Muhammad Ali. Other world-class figures include Salvador Sanchez, Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Durán, Ricardo Lopez, Gabriel "Flash" Elorde, Vicente Saldivar, Ismael Laguna, Eusebio Pedroza, Carlos Monzón, Azumah Nelson, Rocky Marciano, Pipino Cuevas and Ken Buchanan. The Hall of Fame's induction ceremony is held every June as part of a four-day event.

The fans who come to Canastota for the Induction Weekend are treated to a number of events, including scheduled autograph sessions, boxing exhibitions, a parade featuring past and present inductees, and the induction ceremony itself

Governing and sanctioning bodies

!Governing Body	!Website
British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC)	http://www.bbbofc.com/
	http://boxing.nv.gov/
European Boxing Union	http://www.boxebu.com/
!Sanctioning Body	!Website
World Boxing Association (W.B.A.)	http://www.wbaonline.com/
World Boxing Council (W.B.C.)	http://www.wbcboxing.com/
International Boxing Federation (I.B.F.)	http://www.ibf-usba-boxing.com/
World Boxing Organization (W.B.O.)	http://www.wbo-int.com/

See also

World Professional Boxing Federation

United States Boxing Council

Automated Boxing Scoring System

Boxing at the Summer Olympics

Boxing training

Weight class (boxing)

Helmet boxing

List of current world boxing champions

List of female boxers

List of Triple Champions of Boxing

List of Left-Handed Boxers

NCAA Boxing Championship

Purse bid

White Collar Boxing

Women's boxing

U.S. intercollegiate boxing champions

Upcoming Boxing Matches

Notes

References

''Accidents Take Lives of Young Alumni'' (July/August 2005). ''Illinois Alumni,'' 18(1), 47.

Death Under the Spotlight: The Manuel Velazquez Boxing Fatality Collection

Fleischer, Nat, Sam Andre, Nigel Collins, Dan Rafael (2002). ''An Illustrated History of Boxing''. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2201-1

Fox, James A. (2001). ''Boxing''. Stewart, Tabori and Chang. ISBN 1-58479-133-0

Godfrey, John "Boxing" from ''Treatise Upon the Useful Science of Defense'', 1747

Gunn M, Ormerod D. The legality of boxing. Legal Studies. 1995;15:181.

Halbert, Christy (2003). ''The Ultimate Boxer: Understanding the Sport and Skills of Boxing''. Impact Seminars, Inc. ISBN 0-9630968-5-0

Hatmaker, Mark (2004). ''Boxing Mastery: Advanced Technique, Tactics, and Strategies from the Sweet Science''. Tracks Publishing. ISBN 1-884654-21-5

McIlvanney, Hugh (2001). ''The Hardest Game: McIlvanney on Boxing''. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-658-02154-0

Myler, Patrick (1997). ''A Century of Boxing Greats: Inside the Ring with the Hundred Best Boxers''. Robson Books (UK) / Parkwest Publications (US). ISBN 1-86105-258-8.

Price, Edmund ''The Science of Self Defense: A Treatise on Sparring and Wrestling'', 1867

Robert Anasi (2003). ''The Gloves: A Boxing Chronicle''. North Point Press. ISBN 0-86547-652-7

Schulberg, Budd (2007). ''Ringside: A Treasury of Boxing Reportage''. Ivan R. Dee. ISBN 1-56663-749-X

Silverman, Jeff (2004). ''The Greatest Boxing Stories Ever Told: Thirty-Six Incredible Tales from the Ring''. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-59228-479-5

Scully, John ''Learn to Box with the Iceman''

U.S. Amateur Boxing Inc. (1994). ''Coaching Olympic Style Boxing''. Cooper Pub Group. 1-884-12525-5

A Pictoral History Of Boxing, Sam Andre and Nat Fleischer, Hamlyn, 1988, ISBN 0-600-50288-0

* Category:Combat sports Category:Sports originating in England Category:Individual sports Category:Olympic sports

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Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Manny Pacquiao
Realname	Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao
Nickname	Pac-Man,The Destroyer,Fighting Pride of the Philippines,The Mexicutioner,The People's Champ,''Pambansang Kamao'' (National Fist),''Pambansang Ninong'' (National Godfather),The Fighting Congressman
Weight	Light MiddleweightWelterweightLight WelterweightLightweightSuper FeatherweightFeatherweightSuper BantamweightFlyweight
Height
Reach
Nationality	Filipino
Birth date	December 17, 1978
Birth place	Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines
Style	Southpaw
Total	59
Wins	54
Ko	38
Losses	3
Draws	2 Official Site }}

Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH ( ; ; born December 17, 1978) is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). He is also a three-time ''The Ring'' and BWAA "Fighter of the Year", winning the award in 2006, 2008, and 2009.

Currently, Pacquiao is the WBO Welterweight Champion. He is also rated as the best pound for pound boxer in the world by some sporting news and boxing websites, including BoxRec.com, Sporting Life and The Ring.

Aside from boxing, Pacquiao has participated in acting, music recording, and politics. In May 2010, Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the 15th Congress of the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani.

Personal life

Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines. He is the son of Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionesia Dapidran-Pacquiao. His parents separated when he was in sixth grade, after his mother discovered that his father was living with another woman. He is the fourth among six siblings: Liza Silvestre-Onding and Domingo Silvestre (from first husband of his mother) and Isidra Pacquiao-Paglinawan, Alberto "Bobby" Pacquiao and Rogelio Pacquiao.

Pacquiao is married to Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora, and they have four children: Emmanuel Jr. "Jimuel", Michael, Princess, and Queen Elizabeth "Queenie". He resides in his hometown General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines. However, as a congressman of lone district of Sarangani, he is officially residing in Kiamba, Sarangani, the hometown of his wife.

Pacquiao is a devout Roman Catholic. Within the ring, he frequently makes the sign of the cross and every time he comes back from a successful fight abroad, he attends a thanksgiving Mass in Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila to kneel and pray.

Pacquiao is also a military reservist with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Reserve Force of the Philippine Army.

Education

Pacquiao completed his elementary education at Saavedra Saway Elementary School in General Santos City, but dropped out of high school due to extreme poverty. He left his home at age 14 because his mother, who had six children, was not making enough money to support her family.

In February 2007 he took, and passed, a high school equivalency exam making him eligible for college education. He was awarded with a high school diploma by the Department of Education. Pacquiao enrolled for a college degree in business management at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) in his hometown in General Santos City.

On February 18, 2009, Pacquiao was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities (Honoris Causa) by Southwestern University (SWU) at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, Cebu City in recognition of his boxing achievements and humanitarian work.

In preparation for his career as a lawmaker in the House of Representatives, Pacquiao enrolled in the Certificate Course in Development, Legislation, and Governance at the Development Academy of the Philippines – Graduate School of Public and Development Management (DAP-GSPDM).

Amateur boxing career

At the age of 14, Pacquiao moved to Manila and lived, for a time, on the streets. He started boxing and made the Philippine national amateur boxing team where his room and board were paid for by the government. Pacquiao reportedly had an amateur record of 64 fights (60–4).

Professional boxing career

Light Flyweight

In 1995, the death of a young aspiring boxer and close friend Eugene Barutag spurred the young Pacquiao to pursue a professional boxing career. Pacquiao started his professional boxing career when he was just 16 years of age, stood at 4'11'', and weighed 98 pounds (7 pounds under the minimumweight division). He admitted before American media that he put weights in his pockets to make the 105-pound weight limit. His early light flyweight division fights took place in small local venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' ''Blow by Blow'', an evening boxing show. His professional debut was a four-round bout against Edmund "Enting" Ignacio, on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, becoming an instant star of the program.

Pacquiao's weight increased from 106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third-round knockout. Pacquiao failed to make the required weight, so he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting him at a disadvantage.

Flyweight division

Following the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao continued undefeated for his next 15 fights. He went on another unbeaten run that saw him take on the vastly more experienced Chokchai Chockvivat in flyweight division. Pacquiao knocked out Chockvivat in the fifth round and took the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) flyweight title. After one official defense and two non-title bouts, Pacquiao got his first opportunity to fight for a world title. Pacquiao captured the ''Lineal'' and World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight titles (his first major boxing world title) over Chatchai Sasakul by way of knockout in the eighth round. He defended the titles successfully against Mexican Gabriel Mira via a fourth-round technical knockout. However, Pacquiao lost the ''Lineal'' title in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, also known as Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third-round knockout. The bout was held in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Singsurat got Pacquiao on the ropes and landed a flush straight right to the body coiling Pacquiao over and keeping him there. Pacquiao lost the WBC title at the scales, as he surpassed the weight limit of 112 pounds.

Super Bantamweight

Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight and skipped the super flyweight and bantamweight divisions. This time, Pacquiao went to super bantamweight or junior featherweight division of 122 pounds, where he picked up the WBC International super bantamweight title. He defended this title five times before his chance for a world title fight came. Pacquiao's big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF super bantamweight title holder Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement on two weeks' notice but won the fight by technical knockout to win the title, his second major boxing world title. The bout was held at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao went on to defend this title four times under head trainer Freddie Roach, owner of the famous Wild Card Gym in West Hollywood.

Featherweight

On November 15, 2003, Pacquiao faced Marco Antonio Barrera at the Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, in a fight that many consider to have defined his career. Pacquiao, who was fighting at featherweight for the first time, brought his power with him and defeated Barrera via technical knockout in the eleventh round and won the Lineal & ''The Ring'' featherweight title, making him the first Filipino and Asian to become a three-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in three different weight divisions. He defended the title twice before relinquishing it in 2005.

On November 24, 2003, the then Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred on Pacquiao the Presidential Medal of Merit at the Ceremonial Hall of Malacañang Palace for his knockout victory over the best featherweight boxer of the world. The following day, the members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines presented the House Resolution No. 765, authored by the then House Speaker Jose De Venecia and Bukidnon Representative Juan Miguel Zubiri, which honored Pacquiao the Congressional Medal of Achievement for his exceptional achievements. Pacquiao is the first sportsman to receive such an honor from the House of Representatives.

Six months after the fight with Barrera, Pacquiao went on to challenge Juan Manuel Márquez, who at the time held both the World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight titles. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, on May 8, 2004, and after twelve rounds the bout was scored a draw, which proved to be a controversial decision that outraged both camps.

In the first round, Márquez was caught cold, as he was knocked down three times by Pacquiao. However, Márquez showed great heart to recover from the early knockdowns, and went on to win the majority of rounds thereafter. This was largely due to Márquez's counterpunch style, which he managed to effectively utilize against the aggressive style of Pacquiao. At the end of a very close fight, both boxers felt they had done enough to win the fight. The final scores were 115–110 for Márquez, 115–110 for Pacquiao, and 113–113. One of the judges (who scored the bout 113–113) later admitted to making an error on the scorecards, having scored the first round as 10–7 in favor of Pacquiao instead of the standard 10–6 for a three-knockdown round. If he had scored the round 10–6 for Pacquiao (as the other two judges did) the result would have been a split decision in favor of Pacquiao.

Super Featherweight

On March 19, 2005, Pacquiao moved up in super featherweight or junior lightweight division of 130 pounds, in order to fight another Mexican legend and three-division world champion Érik Morales for the vacant WBC "International" super featherweight title. The fight took place at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. In this fight, Pacquiao sustained a cut over his right eye from an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round. He lost the twelve-round match by a unanimous decision from the judges. All three scorecards read 115–113 for Morales.

On September 10, 2005, Manny Pacquiao knocked out in six rounds Héctor Velázquez at Staples Center in Los Angeles to capture the WBC "International" super featherweight title, which he went on to defend five times. On the same day, his rival, Érik Morales, fought Zahir Raheem and lost via unanimous decision.

Despite Morales's loss to Raheem, Pacquiao got matched up against Morales in a rematch which took place on January 21, 2006 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. During the fight, Morales escaped being knocked down twice, once in the second round by holding onto the ropes, and once in the sixth by falling on the referee. Pacquiao eventually knocked Morales out in the tenth, the first time Morales was knocked out in his boxing career.

On July 2, 2006, Pacquiao defended his WBC "International" title against Óscar Larios, a two-time super bantamweight champion, who had moved up two weight divisions to fight Pacquiao. Pacquiao won the fight via unanimous decision, knocking down Larios two times in the 12-round bout at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines. The three judges scored the fight 117–110, 118–108, and 120–106 all for Pacquiao.

On July 3, 2006, the day after winning the fight against Larios, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally bestowed the Order of Lakandula with the rank of "Champion for Life" (''Kampeon Habambuhay'') and the plaque of appreciation to Pacquiao in a simple ceremony at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace.

Pacquiao and Morales fought a third time (with the series tied 1–1) on November 18, 2006. Witnessed by a near record crowd of 18,276, the match saw Pacquiao defeat Morales via a third-round knockout at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. After the Pacquiao–Morales rubber match, Bob Arum, Pacquiao's main promoter, announced that Manny had returned his signing bonus back to Golden Boy Promotions, signaling intentions to stay with Top Rank. This prompted Golden Boy Promotions to sue Pacquiao over breach of contract.

After a failed promotional negotiation with Marco Antonio Barrera's camp, Bob Arum chose Jorge Solís as Pacquiao's next opponent among several fighters Arum offered as replacements. The bout was held in San Antonio, Texas, on April 14, 2007. In the sixth round, an accidental headbutt occurred, giving Pacquiao a cut under his left eyebrow. The fight ended in the eighth when Pacquiao knocked Solis down twice. Solis barely beat the count after the second knockdown, causing the referee to stop the fight and award Pacquiao a knockout win. The victory raised Pacquiao's win–loss–draw record to 44–3–2 with 34 knockouts. This also marked the end of Solis's undefeated streak.

On June 29, 2007, Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions announced that they agreed to settle their lawsuit, meaning the long-awaited rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera would occur despite Pacquiao being the top-ranked contender for Juan Manuel Márquez's WBC super featherweight title. On October 6, 2007, Pacquiao defeated Barrera in their rematch via an easy unanimous decision. In the eleventh round, Pacquiao's punch caused a deep cut below Barrera's right eye. Barrera retaliated with an illegal punch on the break that dazed Pacquiao but also resulted in a point deduction for Barrera. Two judges scored the bout 118–109, whereas the third scored it 115–112.

In ''The Ring'' Magazine, Pacquiao (45–3–2) remained at the top of the super featherweight division (130 pounds). He had been in the ratings for 108 weeks. On November 13, 2007, he was honored by the World Boxing Council as ''Emeritus Champion'' during its 45th Annual World Convention held at the Manila Hotel.

On November 20, 2007, José Nuñez, manager of WBO super featherweight champion Joan Guzmán, accused Pacquiao's handler Bob Arum of evading a match between the two boxers to protect Pacquiao. Guzmán went as far as to directly call out Pacquiao at the postfight press conference of the Pacquiao–Barrera rematch in front of the crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center's media room in Las Vegas.

On March 15, 2008, in a rematch against Juan Manuel Márquez called "Unfinished Business", Pacquiao won via split decision. The fight was held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. With the victory, Pacquiao won the WBC super featherweight and ''The Ring'' jr lightweight titles, making him the first Filipino and Asian to become a four-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in four different weight divisions. The fight was a close hard fought battle, during which both fighters received cuts. Throughout the fight Márquez landed the most punches at a higher percentage; however, the decisive factor proved to be a third-round knockdown, wherein Márquez was floored by a Pacquiao left hook. At the end of the fight, the judges' scores were 115–112 for Pacquiao, 115–112 for Márquez, and 114–113 for Pacquiao.

In the post-fight news conference, Márquez’s camp called for an immediate rematch. In addition, Richard Schaefer, Golden Boy Promotions CEO, offered a $6 million guarantee to Pacquiao for a rematch. However, Pacquiao ruled out a third clash with Márquez, saying, "I don't think so. This business is over." The reason that Pacquiao did not want a rematch was because he intended to move up to the lightweight division to challenge David Díaz, the reigning WBC lightweight title holder at that time. Díaz won a majority decision over Ramón Montano that night as an undercard of the "Unfinished Business" fight.

Lightweight

On June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Pacquiao defeated David Díaz in lightweight division via ninth-round knockout and won the WBC lightweight title. With the victory, Pacquiao became the first and only Filipino and Asian to become a five-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in five different weight divisions, and also became the first Filipino fighter to ever win a world title at lightweight. During the fight, which Pacquiao dominated, Díaz was cut badly on his right eye in the fourth round. After the bout, Díaz acknowledged Pacquiao's superior hand speed, stating "It was his speed. It was all his speed. I could see the punches perfectly, but he was just too fast."

Bob Arum reported that the fight had made 12.5 million dollars earning Díaz his best payday of 850,000 dollars, whilst Pacquiao earned at least 3 million dollars. Official records revealed an attendance of 8,362 (out of a maximum capacity of 12,000).

Holding both the WBC super featherweight and lightweight titles following the win, Pacquiao decided to vacate his super featherweight title in July 2008.

On August 7, 2008, the members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines issued a House Resolution, sponsored by South Cotabato Congresswoman Darlene Antonino-Custodio, which recognized Pacquiao as a "People’s Champ" — "for his achievements and in appreciation of the honor and inspiration he has been bringing... to the Filipino people." He received a plaque from the then House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Welterweight

On December 6, 2008, Pacquiao moved up to the welterweight division, in order to face the six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight called "The Dream Match". Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, the bout was scheduled as a twelve-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit. Although Pacquiao went into the fight widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing pundits had speculated that 147 pounds could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya. However, due to rehydration after the weigh in, De la Hoya came into the fight actually weighing less than Pacquiao, and close to 20 pounds under his usual fighting weight. Pacquiao dominated the fight, and after eight rounds De La Hoya's corner was forced to throw in the towel, awarding Pacquiao the win via technical knockout.

Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage, with two judges scoring the fight at 80–71 and one scoring it at 79–72. Moreover, Pacquiao landed 224 out of 585 punches, whilst De La Hoya landed only 83 out of 402 punches. After the bout, trainer Freddie Roach stated "We knew we had him after the first round. He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot." The fight would be De La Hoya's last, as he announced his retirement from boxing shortly after.

Pacquiao received 15 to 30 million dollars (share of the pay-per-view), plus a guaranteed amount. Tickets reportedly sold out just hours after they went on sale. Moreover, the total gate revenue for the fight was said to be nearly 17 million dollars, making it the second largest gate revenue in boxing history.

On December 22, 2008, Pacquiao has been decorated with the Philippine Legion of Honor with the rank of "Officer" (''Pinuno'') in a ceremony marking the 73rd founding anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. As an army reservist, he was given recognition for bringing pride and honor to the country through his remarkable achievements in the ring.

Light Welterweight

On May 2, 2009, Pacquiao fought at light welterweight or super lightweight division for the first time against Ricky Hatton at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "The Battle of the East and West". Pacquiao won the bout via knockout to claim Hatton's ''The Ring'' light welterweight title. In doing so, Pacquiao became the second man in boxing history to become a six-division world champion, a fighter who won world titles in six different weight divisions and the first man ever to win lineal world titles in four different weight classes.

The fight was originally placed in jeopardy due to disputes with both camps over the fight purse money. Eventually, the money issue was settled and the fight went on as scheduled. HBO aired the contest.

Pacquiao started the fight strong, knocking down Hatton twice in the first round. A somewhat shaken Hatton beat the count, only to be saved by the bell seconds later. In the second round Hatton seemed to have recovered, as he stalked Pacquiao for most of the round. However, with less than ten seconds remaining in the second round, Hatton was knocked out cold by a sharp left hook, prompting the referee to award Pacquiao the win by knockout (at 2:59 of the round). The knockout won him the ''The Ring'' Magazine "Knockout of the Year" for 2009.

Return to welterweight

On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Miguel Cotto via technical knockout in the twelfth round, at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, in a fight billed as "Firepower". Although the bout was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds, Cotto agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds.

Pacquiao dominated the fight, knocking Cotto down in round three and round four, before the referee stopped the fight at 0:55 of round twelve. With this victory, Pacquiao took the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title and WBO Super Champion belts, to become the first seven-division world champion, the first fighter in boxing history to win world titles in seven different weight divisions. Pacquiao also won the first and special WBC Diamond Championship belt. This belt was created as an honorary championship exclusively to award the winner of a historic fight between two high-profile boxers. After the fight, promoter Bob Arum stated "Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I've ever seen, and I've seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard." Miguel Cotto said in a post fight interview: "Miguel Cotto comes to boxing to fight the biggest names, and Manny is one of the best boxers we have of all time."

The fight generated 1.25 million buys and $70 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009. Pacquiao earned around $22 million for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around $12 million. Pacquiao–Cotto also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.

On November 20, 2009, in a simple rites at the Quirino Grandstand, President Macapagal-Arroyo conferred Pacquiao the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of ''Datu'' (Grand Cross) with Gold distinction (''Katangiang Ginto'') which usually bestowed to foreign diplomats and heads of state. It was awarded to Pacquiao for winning his historical seventh weight division world title.

Following the victory against Cotto, there was much public demand for a fight between the seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao (the number-one pound-for-pound boxer) and the five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (the number-two and former number-one pound-for-pound boxer). Pacquiao reportedly agreed to fight Mayweather on March 13, 2010, for a split of $50 million up front. And it was later agreed that the venue for the fight would be the MGM Grand Las Vegas. However, the bout was put in jeopardy due to disagreements about Olympic-style drug testing. The Mayweather camp wanted random blood testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, whereas Pacquiao refused to have any blood testing within 30 days from the fight, because he thought it would weaken him, but he was willing to have blood taken from him before the 30-day window as well as immediately after the fight. Freddie Roach, on the other hand, commented that he would not allow blood to be taken from Pacquiao one week before the fight. In an attempt to resolve their differences, the two camps went through a process of mediation before a retired judge. After the mediation process Mayweather agreed to a 14-day no blood testing window. However, Pacquiao refused and instead only agreed to a 24-day no blood testing window. Consequently, on January 7, 2010, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum declared that the fight was officially off.

Because of Pacquiao's reluctance to submit to random blood testing to the extent requested by Mayweather, and despite lack of evidence, the Mayweather camp repeated their suggestion that Pacquiao was using banned substances, which resulted in Pacquiao filing a lawsuit for defamation, seeking damages in excess of 75,000 dollars. The lawsuit cited accusations made by Floyd Mayweather, Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., Roger Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

After negotiations for the Mayweather fight fell through, other boxers were considered to replace Mayweather as Pacquiao's next opponent, including former light welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi, and WBA super welterweight title holder Yuri Foreman. However, Pacquiao chose to fight former IBF welterweight title holder Joshua Clottey instead.

On March 13, 2010, at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Pacquiao defeated Clottey via unanimous decision to retain his WBO welterweight title. The judges scored the fight 120–108, 119–109 and 119–109, all in favor of Pacquiao. During the fight, Pacquiao threw a total of 1231 punches (a career high), but landed just 246, as most were blocked by Clottey's tight defense. On the other hand, Clottey threw a total of 399 punches, landing 108.

The fight was rewarded with a paid crowd of 36,371 and a gate of $6,359,985, according to post-fight tax reports filed with Texas boxing regulators. Counting complimentary tickets delivered to sponsors, media outlets and others, the Dallas fight attracted 41,843, well short of the 50,994 that was previously announced, but still an epic number for boxing. In addition, the bout drew 700,000 pay-per-view buys and earned $35.3 million in domestic revenue.

Manny Pacquiao was named as the Fighter of the Decade for years 2000–2009 by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). This award was presented by legendary boxer Joe Frazier, who was also a recipient of the award himself back in 1978 for defeating Muhammad Ali. Aside from this prestigious recognition, he was also named as the Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year for 2009, having received the same honor in 2006 and 2008. The awards ceremony was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on June 4, 2010.

After his victory over Clottey, Pacquiao was expected to return to boxing in late 2010 with a possible matchup against Floyd Mayweather Jr. It was later reported that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Top Rank Chief Bob Arum worked out a '"Super Fight" between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. However, complications arose when Mayweather requested Pacquiao undergo random blood and urine testing up until the fight day. Pacquiao responded that he would agree to undergo blood and urine testing up until 14 days before the fight (as requested by Mayweather in the first round of negotiations), stating that giving blood too close to the fight day would weaken him. On May 13, 2010, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum announced that he had penciled in November 13, 2010 as the date of Manny Pacquiao's next fight, possibly against Mayweather. However, the stumbling block over demands that Pacquiao submit to Olympic-level random drug testing put the fight in jeopardy.

On June 12, 2010, the President of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, stated during an interview with a Spanish network that the deal for the fight was very close and the negotiation process has been very difficult. On June 30, 2010, Arum announced that the management of both sides had agreed to terms, that all points had been settled (including Pacquiao agreeing to submit to both blood and urine testing) and only the signature of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was needed to seal the deal that could have earned both fighters at least $40 million each. Mayweather was then given a two-week deadline for the fight contract to be signed. Arum also announced that Pacquiao accepted the terms of the random drug testing, blood and urine, leading up to the fight.

On July 15, 2010, Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao's camp would give Mayweather until Friday midnight to sign the fight. The next day the Top Rank website embedded a countdown clock on their website with the heading "Money" Time: Mayweather's Decision. On July 17, 2010, Arum announced that there was no word from Mayweather's camp and the deal for a November 13, 2010 fight with Mayweather Jr. was not reached.

On July 19, 2010, Leonard Ellerbe, one of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s closest advisers, denied that negotiations for a super fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao had ever taken place. Ellerbe stated that Bob Arum was not telling the truth. Bob Arum responded, questioning that if there was no negotiation, then who imposed the gag order (referring to a gag order about the negotiation allegedly imposed on both camps) and who could there be a gag order from if there were no negotiations. He also criticized Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer for denying that negotiations took place, when De La Hoya himself had previously stated that they were "very, very close in finalizing the contracts". Arum revealed that HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg acted as the mediator between Mayweather’s handlers and those of Pacquiao’s from Top Rank Promotions. On July 26, 2010, Ross Greenburg said in a statement that he has been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, 2010, carefully trying to put the fight together and he did in fact act as a go-between in negotiations with the two sides, but they were unable to come to an agreement, contradicting what Arum and the Pacquiao camp had said. Floyd Mayweather Jr., after the second negotiation had been officially declared off, told the Associated Press that he had fought sixty days ago and that he was not interested in rushing into anything and was not really thinking about boxing at the moment. Almost a year later, on July 8, 2011, Manny Pacquiao's top adviser Michael Koncz confirmed that Pacquiao had in fact never agreed to testing up until fight day, which contradicted what Bob Arum and the Pacquiao camp had been saying for well over a year.

Light Middleweight

On July 23, 2010, Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao would fight Antonio Margarito on November 13, 2010. The fight for the vacant WBC Super welterweight title gave Pacquiao the chance to win a world title in his eighth weight class, the light middleweight or super welterweight division. A catchweight of 150 pounds was established for the fight although the weight limit for the light middleweight division is 154 pounds. During the pre-fight, Pacquiao weighed in at a low 144.6 pounds, while Margarito weighed in at the limit of 150 pounds. Pacquiao said he was pleased with his weight because he loses too much speed when he gains pounds. During the fight itself, Pacquiao weighed 148 lbs, 17 pounds lighter than Margarito's 165.

Prior to the fight, Pacquiao's team demanded to the Texas officials to test Margarito for banned substances after a weight loss supplement, reportedly Hydroxycut, was found in his locker. It was stated that the officials would undergo testing for both boxers after the fight. In the fight, Pacquiao defeated Margarito via unanimous decision, using his superior handspeed and movement to win his 8th world title in as many divisions. In the penultimate round, Pacquiao implored referee Laurence Cole several times to stop the fight as Margarito had a swollen face and a large cut beneath the right eye, but the referee let the fight continue. Margarito had to be taken directly to the hospital after the fight, where it was discovered his orbital bone had been fractured; he had to undergo surgery.

On November 22, 2010, after winning world title in his eighth weight division, Pacquiao was awarded with another Congressional Medal of Distinction from his fellow congressmen led by House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte during the ceremony at the Philippine House of Representatives.

Because Pacquiao had no plans to defend the WBC super welterweight title that he won against Margarito, the WBC Board of Governors voted to declare the title vacant.

Second return to welterweight

On May 7, 2011, Pacquiao successfully defended his WBO welterweight title against three-division world champion Shane Mosley via lopsided unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Arena. Rapper LL Cool J performed as Mosley entered first the arena, while vocalist Jimi Jamison of the rock band Survivor sang "Eye of the Tiger" as Pacquiao approached the ring. Pacquiao knocked Mosley down in the third round using a one-two capped with a left straight. Mosley was left dazed by the knockdown but managed to stand up. Mosley floored Pacquiao in the tenth round with a push, but referee Kenny Bayless inexplicably ruled it a knockdown. None of the judges seemed to have bought it judging from the scores. Replays showed that Pacquiao was throwing a punch off balance, had his right foot stepped on by Mosley's left foot and went down with a little help from Mosley's right hand. Bayless apologized to Pacquiao after the fight for the mistake. Pacquiao gained one-sided verdicts from all three judges – 119–108, 120–108 and 120–107. Pacquiao reported that the only thing preventing him from knocking out Mosley was a cramp in his legs. Freddie Roach said that Pacquiao had problems with cramping before but usually in training sessions and not in the middle of bouts. After the fight, there was much controversy over Shane Mosley reportedly told Floyd Mayweather that he should have made Pacquiao "take the test".

Bob Arum talked about having Pacquiao's next bout at the MGM Grand on November 5, 2011 or across town at the Thomas and Mack Center on November 12, 2011. Arum listed Juan Manuel Marquez as the first choice and then mentioned Timothy Bradley and Zab Judah as other options.

Third fight against Juan Manuel Márquez

Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum stated that a third meeting with Márquez could happen in November 2011, providing Pacquiao defeated his next opponent Shane Mosley on May 7. On May 10, Márquez accepted an offer from Top Rank to fight Pacquiao for his WBO Welterweight Title at a catchweight of 144 pounds. On May 18, Márquez signed the deal to fight Pacquiao for the third time on November 12 at Las Vegas.

On November 12, Marquez lost to Pacquiao via majority decision by garnering scores 114-114, 115-113 & 116-112 from scorecards of three judges. Upon the results being announced, the crowd reaction was largely negative with thousands continuing to boo as Pacquiao spoke with Max Kellerman. Tim Smith of New York's Daily News wrote that Márquez "was robbed of a decision by judges who were either blind or corrupt." However, ringside punch stats showed Pacquiao landing more strikes, 176 to 138, and landing more power punches, 117 to 100. Michael Woods of ESPN stated that Marquez was not robbed noting the Compubox stats, all of which favored Pacquiao.

Bob Arum announced that Pacquiao is having his next bout on June 9, 2012, following another failed negotiations for a showdown with the now WBC titleholder Floyd Mayweather, Jr. on Cinco De Mayo. Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez and Lamont Peterson are the names on Arum's list of his next possible opponents. Currently, it has been reported that Bradley is the frontrunner to face Pacquiao.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|54 Wins (38 Knockouts), 3 Defeats (2 Knockouts), 2 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Result | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Round, Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center | |||| align=left| | || ? || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||54-3-2|| align=left| Juan Manuel Márquez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||53-3-2 || align=left| Shane Mosley | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||52-3-2 || align=left| Antonio Margarito | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||51-3-2 || align=left| Joshua Clottey | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||50-3-2 || align=left| Miguel Ángel Cotto | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||49-3-2 || align=left| Ricky Hatton | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||48-3-2 || align=left| Oscar De La Hoya | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||47-3-2 || align=left| David Díaz | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||46-3-2 || align=left| Juan Manuel Márquez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||45-3-2 || align=left| Marco Antonio Barrera | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||44-3-2 || align=left| Jorge Solís | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||43-3-2 || align=left| Érik Morales | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||42-3-2 || align=left| Óscar Larios | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||41-3-2 || align=left| Érik Morales | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||40-3-2 || align=left| Héctor Velázquez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss||39-3-2 || align=left| Érik Morales | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||39-2-2 || align=left| Fahsan Por Thawatchai | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #B0C4DE"|Draw||38-2-2 || align=left| Juan Manuel Márquez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||38-2-1 || align=left| Marco Antonio Barrera | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||37-2-1 || align=left| Emmanuel Lucero | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||36-2-1 || align=left| Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||35-2-1 || align=left| Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||34-2-1 || align=left| Jorge Eliecer Julio | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |style="background: #B0C4DE"|Draw||33-2-1 || align=left| Agapito Sánchez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||33-2 || align=left| Lehlohonolo Ledwaba | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||32-2 || align=left| Wethya Sakmuangklang | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||31-2 || align=left| Tetsutora Senrima | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||30-2 || align=left| Nedal Hussein | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||29-2 || align=left| Seung-Kon Chae | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||28-2 || align=left| Arnel Barotillo | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||27-2 || align=left| Reynante Jamili | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss||26-2 || align=left| Medgoen Singsurat | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||26-1 || align=left| Gabriel Mira | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||25-1 || align=left| Todd Makelim | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||24-1 || align=left| Chatchai Sasakul | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||23-1 || align=left| Shin Terao | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||22-1 || align=left| Panomdej Ohyuthanakorn | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||21-1 || align=left| Melvin Magramo | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||20-1 || align=left| Chokchai Chockvivat | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||19-1 || align=left| Ariel Austria | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||18-1 || align=left| Wook-Ki Lee | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||17-1 || align=left| Mike Luna | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||16-1 || align=left| Sung-Yul Lee | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||15-1 || align=left| Ippo Gala | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||14-1 || align=left| Bert Batiller | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||13-1 || align=left| John Medina | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||12-1 || align=left| Marlon Carillo | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Loss||11-1 || align=left| Rustico Torrecampo | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||11-0 || align=left| Lito Torrejos | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||10-0 || align=left| Rolando Toyogon | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||9-0 || align=left| Rudolfo Fernandez | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||8-0 || align=left| Renato Mendones | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||7-0 || align=left| Lolito Laroa | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||6-0 || align=left| Armando Rocil | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||5-0 || align=left| Acasio Simbajon | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||4-0 || align=left| Dele Decierto | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||3-0 || align=left| Rocky Palma | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||2-0 || align=left| Pinoy Montejo | || || |align=left| |align=left| |-align=center |Win||1-0 || align=left| Edmund Enting Ignacio | || || |align=left| |align=left|

Titles in boxing

''Major World Titles:''

WBC Flyweight World Champion ''(112 lbs)''

IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion ''(122 lbs)''

WBC Super Featherweight World Champion ''(130 lbs)''

WBC Lightweight World Champion ''(135 lbs)''

WBO Welterweight World Champion ''(147 lbs)''

WBC Super Welterweight World Champion ''(154 lbs)''

''Minor World Title:''

IBO Junior Welterweight World Champion ''(140 lbs)''

''Lineal Championship Titles:''

''Lineal'' Flyweight World Champion ''(112 lbs)''

''The Ring'' Featherweight World Champion ''(126 lbs)''

''The Ring'' Junior Lightweight World Champion ''(130 lbs)''

''The Ring'' Junior Welterweight World Champion ''(140 lbs)''

''Regional/International Titles:''

OPBF Flyweight Champion ''(112 lbs)''

WBC Super Bantamweight International Champion ''(122 lbs)''

WBC Super Featherweight International Champion ''(130 lbs)''

''Special Titles:''

WBC Emeritus Champion

WBC Diamond Champion

WBO Super Champion

Acting career

name	Manny Pacquiao
birth name	Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao
othername	Manny, Pacman
occupation	Professional Boxer, Actor, Politician
yearsactive	2000 – Present
notable role	}}

Pacquiao started his acting career as an extra in some local films and guest appearances on ABS-CBN shows.

In December 2005 Pacquiao took his first lead role in Violett Films' ''Lisensyadong Kamao'' (Licensed Fist). The movie is titled so because (according to director Tony Bernal), being a Boxer, Pacquiao is licensed to use his hands.

In 2008, Pacquiao starred with Ara Mina and Valerie Concepcion in ''Anak ng Kumander'' (Son of Commander). The movie was not a commercial success and was panned by critics.

Pacquiao starred in the superhero/comedy film entitled ''Wapakman'', which was released on December 25, 2009 as an entry to the 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival. Like his previous films ''Wapakman'' was not commercially successful.

Upon the expiration of his contract with ABS-CBN, Pacquiao signed with GMA Network as an actor in September 2007. On December 17, 2007, he taped his first episode of the networks infotainment show ''Pinoy Records''. His other projects with the network included ''Totoy Bato'' and the sitcom ''Show Me Da Manny'' in which his mother, Dionesia, also appeared.

American actor Sylvester Stallone is reportedly in talks with Pacquiao over co-starring in one of Stallone's future films, which is in the planning stages. The film would be Pacquiao's Hollywood debut.

In 2011, Pacquiao appeared on ''Tosh.0'' in which he was paired in a fight with Daniel Tosh. It resulted in Pacquiao winning in one punch.

Political career

name	Emmanuel D. Pacquiao
order
Office	Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Sarangani's Lone District
term start	June 30, 2010
predecessor	Erwin L. Chiongbian
party	Liberal Party (2007, 2010)Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (2008)Nacionalista Party (2009–2010) People's Champ Movement (2010)
residence	Kiamba, Sarangani
alma mater	Notre Dame of Dadiangas University
profession	Professional Boxer, Actor
religion	Roman Catholic
website	www.congress.gov.ph
footnotes	}}

2007 Election

On February 12, 2007, Pacquiao officially announced that he would be running for a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 2007 legislative election as a candidate of the Liberal Party, aiming to represent the 1st District of South Cotabato. Pacquiao, who has been known to be supportive of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said that he was persuaded to run by local officials of General Santos City, who hoped he would act as a bridge between their interests and the national government. Pacquiao was defeated in the election by incumbent Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio, who said, "More than anything, I think, people weren't prepared to lose him as their boxing icon".

In September 2008, Pacquiao was sworn in as member of Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KAMPI), a pro-administration political party.

2010 Election

On November 21, 2009, Pacquiao confirmed that he would run again for the congressional seat but this time in Sarangani province, the hometown of his wife Jinkee. He originally planned to run for congress under his own party, the People's Champ Movement, but has since joined the Nacionalista Party headed by Manny Villar. Villar said arrangements were made to accommodate Pacquiao’s People’s Champ Movement in a coalition with the Nacionalista Party for the May 2010 elections in Sarangani.

On May 13, 2010, Pacquiao was officially proclaimed congressman of the lone district of Sarangani. He scored a landslide victory over the wealthy and politically well-entrenched Chiongbian clan that had been in power in the province for more than thirty years. Pacquiao got 120,052 votes while his opponent for the seat, Roy Chiongbian, got 60,899 votes.

On June 28, 2010, Pacquiao took his oath of office as congressman before Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio in the Provincial Capitol of Sarangani in Municipality of Alabel. He announced that he will transfer to President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III's Liberal Party from Nacionalista Party as he wants to ensure the entry of more projects to his province.

In popular culture

A film based on Pacquiao's life, ''Pacquiao: The Movie'', was released on June 21, 2006, featuring Filipino actor Jericho Rosales as Manny Pacquiao and was directed by Joel Lamangan. The film flopped at the box office, grossing a total of only P4,812,191 (approximately US$99,322), as confirmed by Lamangan.

Pacquiao is featured in the boxing video games ''Fight Night Round 2'', ''Fight Night Round 3'', ''Fight Night Round 4'' and ''Fight Night Champion''. EA Sports released a limited edition demo of Fight Night Round 4, featuring Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton prior to their May 2 fight.

Pacquiao became the first Filipino athlete to appear on a postage stamp.

Pacquiao became the first Filipino Olympic non-participant to be Team Philippines’ flag-bearer during the August 8 opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics at the Beijing National Stadium. Swimmer Miguel Molina, 2005 Southeast Asian Games’ Best Male Athlete, yielded the honor to Pacquiao, upon the request of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the national sports officials on the Philippines at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Pacquiao plays basketball as a cross-training to keep himself in shape. He is playing in the semi-professional basketball league, Liga Pilipinas, with the team he owns, the MP-Gensan Warriors. He made his debut in the Smart-Liga Pilipinas Conference II in January 16, 2009. He wears jersey number 17.

Pacquiao became an honorary member of Boston Celtics. The honorary membership was bestowed on him in a brief ceremony and he was presented with a replica of a green and white Celtics jersey bearing his name and number 1. As a measure of gratitude, Pacquiao delivered a stockpile of red autographed boxing gloves to TD Garden. On March 10, 2010, prior to the night's game with Memphis Grizzlies, many of the Celtics had a special motivational gift waiting for them in their lockers.

With his popularity, various business sectors have solicited Manny Pacquiao's help in endorsing their products through commercial advertisements in print and in broadcast media. These include detergents, medicines, foods, beverage, garments, telecommunications, and even a political ad for politicians during the 2007 and 2010 Philippine elections. His most acclaimed commercials yet were for Nike's "Fast Forward" campaign (alongside Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Liu Xiang) and San Miguel Beer with Jet Li and Érik Morales.

Pacquiao has been included by Time Magazine as one of the world's most influential people for the year 2009, for his exploits in boxing and his influence among the Filipino people. Pacquiao was also included by Forbes Magazine in its annual Celebrity 100 list for the year 2009, joining Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and fellow athletes Tiger Woods and Bryant. Forbes also listed Pacquiao as the World's 6th Highest Paid Athlete, with a total of 40 Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00) or 2 Billion Pesos (₱2,000,000,000.00) from the second half of 2008 to the first half of 2009. Tied with him on the sixth spot was the NBA player LeBron James and golfer Phil Mickelson. Pacquiao was again included in Forbes' list of Highest Paid Athletes from the second half of 2009 to the first half of 2010; he was ranked 8th with an income of $42 million. Pacquiao had also won the 2009 ESPY Awards for the Best Fighter category, beating fellow boxer Shane Mosley and Brazilian mixed martial arts fighters Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. More recently, ESPN Magazine reported that Pacquiao is one of the two top earning athletes for 2010, alongside American Major League baseball player Alex Rodriguez. According to the magazine's annual salary report of athletes, Pacquiao earned $32 million (approximately PhP 1.38 billion) for his two 2010 boxing matches against Clottey and Margarito.

Pacquiao has also graced the cover of Time Magazine Asia for their November 16, 2009 issue. According to their five-page feature story, "(Pacquiao is) a fighter with enough charisma, intelligence and backstory to help rescue a sport lost in the labyrinth of pay-per-view. Global brands like Nike want him in their ads." They also added, "Pacquiao has a myth of origin equal to that of any Greek or Roman hero. He leaves the Philippines to make it even bigger, conquering the world again and again to bring back riches to his family and friends." He became the eighth Filipino to grace the cover of the prestigious magazine, after former Philippine presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno Aquino III and Filipino actress and environmentalist Chin Chin Gutierrez. Pacquiao was also featured on the cover of Reader’s Digest Asia, where a seven-page story was written about the Filipino boxing superstar. The issue came out before Pacquiao’s epic match against De La Hoya on November 2008.

Recognitions

''International:'' 2000–09 Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Decade 2000–09 HBO Fighter of the Decade 2006, 2008, and 2009 Boxing Writers Association Fighter of the Year 2006, 2008 and 2009 ESPN Fighter of the Year

2006, 2008, and 2009 ''The Ring'' Fighter of the Year

2001–2010 World Boxing Council Boxer of the Decade 2008 Sports Illustrated Boxer of the Year 2008 Yahoo! Sports Fighter of the Year 2008 and 2009 ESPN Star's Champion of Champions 2008 and 2009 World Boxing Council Boxer of the Year

2008, 2009 and 2010 ''The Ring'' No.1 Pound-for-Pound (year-end)

2009 Ask Men Most Influential Men (ranked 24th) 2009 ESPN Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Ricky Hatton'') 2009 ESPY Awards Best Fighter 2009 Forbes Magazine World's Highest-Paid Athletes (ranked 6th) 2009 Sports Illustrated Fighter of the Year

2009 ''The Ring'' Knockout of the Year (''in Round 2 against Ricky Hatton'')

2009 TIME 100 Most Influential People (Heroes and Icons Category) 2009 and 2010 Forbes Magazine Celebrity 100 (ranked 57th and 55th) 2010 Bleacher Report Most Exciting Athletes of All Time (ranked 85th) 2010 World Boxing Organization Fighter of the Year 2010 Yahoo! Sports Boxing's Most Influential (ranked 25th)

''National:'' 2000–09 Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Decade

2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008 PSA Sportsman of the Year

2003 Presidential Medal of Merit

2003 and 2010 Congressional Medal of Achievement / Distinction / Honor

2006 Order of Lakandula with the rank of "Champion for Life" (''Kampeon Habambuhay'') 2008 Philippine Legion of Honor with the rank of "Officer" (''Pinuno'') 2008 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Honorary Award for Sports Excellence 2009 Order of Sikatuna with the rank of ''Datu'' (Grand Cross with Gold Distinction)

2011 Gabriel "Flash" Elorde Memorial "Quintessential Athlete" Award

Filmography

''Mahal Kita... Kahit Sino Ka Pa!'' ''Basagan ng Mukha'' ''Lisensyadong Kamao'' ''Anak ng Kumander'' Brown Soup Thing ''Pangarap Kong Jackpot'' Wapakman No Fear: The Manny Pacquiao Story The People's Champion ''Kamao: Matira Ang Matibay'' Ok Fine Whatever ''Ako ang Simula'' The Battle of Cebu: Moment of Truth Kababayan LA: Manny Pacquiao Specials Pinoy Records ''Totoy Bato'' ''Show Me Da Manny'' Rome is BurningJimmy Kimmel Live MMA H.E.A.T. Jimmy Kimmel Live HBO Boxing After DarkESPN Friday Night Fights Jimmy Kimmel Live 60 MinutesManny Many Prizes

Year !! Film !! Role !! Other Notes
2000	''Di Ko Kayang Tanggapin''	Dong
2001	|
2001	|	Dodong
2005	|	Ambrosio "Bruce" Lerio
2008	|	Kumander Idel	Writer/Producer
2008	|	Cousin Manny
2008	|	Abel	segment ''"Sa Ngalan ng Busabos"''
2009	|	Magno Meneses/Wapakman
Year !! Television Shows !! Role !! Other Notes
2004	''Walang Bakas''	Himself (uncredited)
2004	|	Himself	Video documentary
2004	|	Himself	Video documentary
2005	|	Himself – Host
2005	|	Himself – Guest
2006	|	Himself	TV documentary
2007	|	Himself – Crowd
2009	|	Himself
2009	|	Himself – Host
2009	|	Emmanuel
2009	|	Manny Santos
2009	|	Himself – Correspondent	Episode dated May 1
2009	|	Himself – Guest	Episode dated November 3
2009	|	Himself	Episode dated November 12
2010	|	Himself – Guest	Episode dated March 3
2010	|	Himself – Audience Member	Episode dated June 18
2010	|	Himself	Episode dated July 2
2010	|	Himself – Guest	Episode dated November 1
2010	|	Himself – Guest
2011	|	Himself – Host

Discography

Name	Manny Pacquiao
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Emmanuel D. Pacquiao
Origin	General Santos City
Occupation	Boxer, Actor, Singer, Politician
Years active	2006–present
Label	Star RecordsMCA RecordsGMA Records
Associated acts	Lito CamoFrancis Magalona }}

Most of the Tagalog songs of Pacquiao were composed by Lito Camo. The following are the songs from Manny Pacquiao's albums:

''Laban Nating Lahat Ito'' (2006) – under Star Records

*"Bilog" (Circle)

*"Para Sa'Yo Ang Laban Na 'To" (This Fight is for You)

*"Pagsubok Lamang Yan" (It's Just a Challenge)

*"Byaheng Pag-asa" (Voyage of Hope)

*"Ipakita Mo" (Show Them)

*"Ikaw at Ako" (You and Me)

*"Hindi Ko Kaya" (I Can't Do It)

*"Kanta Tayo" (Let's Sing)

*"Champion Sa Kantahan" (Champion in Singing)

*"Laban Nating Lahat Ito" (This is Our Fight) (feat Francis M.)

''Pac-Man Punch'' (2007) – under MCA Records

*"Pac-Man Punch" – Willie Wilcox feat. Nemesis Yankee and Manny Pacquiao

*"Pac-Man Punch (R U Ready?)" – Willie Wilcox feat. Nemesis Yankee

*"Pac-Man Punch (Knockout Remix)" – Willie Wilcox feat. Nemesis Yankee and Manny Pacquiao

*"Pac-Man Punch (Minus One)"

2009 Single under GMA Records

*"Lahing Pinoy"

2011 Single

Remake of Dan Hill's Sometimes When We Touch

See also

List of current world boxing champions

List of ''The Ring'' world champions

List of WBC world champions

List of IBF world champions

List of WBO world champions

List of IBO world champions

List of flyweight boxing champions

List of super bantamweight boxing champions

List of super featherweight boxing champions

List of lightweight boxing champions

List of welterweight boxing champions

List of super welterweight boxing champions

List of boxing triple champions

List of boxing quadruple champions

List of boxing quintuple champions

List of boxing sextuple champions

List of boxing septuple champions

List of left-handed boxers

''The Ring'' pound for pound

List of Filipino Boxing World Champions

References

External links

Manny Pacquiao's Official Site

PACLAND – Official Fan Site

MPBoxing.com

Rep. Emmanuel D. Pacquiao Official Profile

HBO Boxing: Manny Pacquiao: Bio

Fight Videos

Manny Pacquiao's Fight-by-Fight Career Record

''GQ Magazine'' Profile

Nike – Inside Pacquiao

PacMan: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao: A Biography of Pacquiao, published by Da Capo Press

- - - - - - - {{s-ttl | title=WBC Flyweight World Champion| years=December 4, 1998 – September 17, 1999Stripped}} - {{s-ttl | title=''Lineal'' Flyweight World Champion| years=December 4, 1998 – September 17, 1999}} - {{s-ttl | title=IBF Junior Featherweight World Champion| years=June 23, 2001 – July 26, 2003Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=''The Ring'' Featherweight World Champion| years=November 15, 2003 – March 19, 2005Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=WBC Super Featherweight World Champion| years=March 15, 2008 – July 16, 2008Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=''The Ring'' Junior Lightweight World Champion| years=March 15, 2008 – July 16, 2008Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=WBC Lightweight World Champion | years=June 28, 2008 – February 24, 2009Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=IBO Junior Welterweight World Champion | years=May 2, 2009 – January 15, 2010Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=''The Ring'' Junior Welterweight World Champion | years=May 2, 2009 – July 26, 2010Vacated}} - {{s-ttl | title=WBO Welterweight World Champion(Super Champion) | years=November 14, 2009 – ''present''}} - {{s-ttl | title=WBC Super Welterweight World Champion | years=November 13, 2010 – February 8, 2011
Stripped}} -

- -

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Featherweight boxers Category:Filipino boxers Category:Filipino actor–politicians Category:Filipino Roman Catholics Category:Flyweight boxers Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:Super-featherweight boxers Category:Light-welterweight boxers Category:Lightweight boxers Category:Members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Category:Notre Dame Educational Association Philippines Category:People from Bukidnon Category:People from South Cotabato Category:Southpaw boxers Category:Super-bantamweight boxers Category:World Boxing Council Champions Category:World Boxing Organization Champions Category:Welterweight boxers Category:World boxing champions Category:World flyweight boxing champions Category:World super-featherweight boxing champions Category:World lightweight boxing champions Category:Recipients of the Order of Sikatuna Category:Filipino sportsperson–politicians Category:Partner of the Free Filipino politicians Category:Nacionalista Party politicians Category:Liberal Party (Philippines) politicians Category:People's Champ Movement politicians Category:Recipients of the Order of Lakandula

ar:ماني باكياو az:Menni Pakyao bcl:Manny Pacquiao ceb:Manny Pacquiao cs:Manny Pacquiao cbk-zam:Manny Pacquiao da:Manny Pacquiao de:Manny Pacquiao el:Μάνι Πακιάο es:Manny Pacquiao fr:Manny Pacquiao ko:매니 파퀴아오 ilo:Manny Pacquiao id:Manny Pacquiao ia:Emmanuel Pacquiao it:Manny Pacquiao he:מני פקיאו pam:Manny Pacquiao la:Emmanuel Pacquiao lv:Menijs Pakjao nl:Manny Pacquiao ja:マニー・パッキャオ no:Manny Pacquiao uz:Manny Pacquiao pag:Manny Pacquiao pl:Manny Pacquiao pt:Manny Pacquiao ro:Manny Pacquiao qu:Manny Pacquiao ru:Пакьяо, Мэнни fi:Manny Pacquiao sv:Manny Pacquiao tl:Manny Pacquiao th:แมนนี่ ปาเกียว vi:Pacquiao war:Manny Pacquiao zh:曼尼·帕奎奥

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Realname	Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr.
Nickname	Pretty BoyMoney
Weight	Super FeatherweightLightweightLight WelterweightWelterweightSuper Welterweight
Height
Reach
Nationality	American
Birth date	February 24, 1977
Birth place	Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Home
Style	Orthodox
Total	42
Wins	42
Ko	26
Losses	0
Draws	0 Official Site}}

Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. (born Floyd Sinclair; February 24, 1977) is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes. He is a two-time ''The Ring'' "Fighter of the Year" winning the award in 1998 and 2007, and also won the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) "Fighter of the Year" award in 2007. He is undefeated as a professional boxer.

Currently, Mayweather is the WBC welterweight champion. He is also rated as the best pound for pound boxer in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites, including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Fox Sports, Yahoo! Sports and About.com. On 21 December 2011, Mayweather was sentenced to serve 90 days in jail for battery.

Early life

Mayweather was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., into a family of boxers. His father Floyd Mayweather Sr. was a former welterweight contender who fought Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard and his uncles Jeff Mayweather and Roger Mayweather were all professional boxers, with Roger – Floyd’s current trainer – winning two world championships. Mayweather was born with his mother's last name, but his last name would change to Mayweather shortly thereafter. Mayweather's father, Floyd Sr., had a side job - selling drugs . According to Mayweather Jr., his father was often a harsh disciplinarian . Mayweather says that when he was a baby, his father used him as a shield to keep his brother-in-law from shooting him. "It depends on which side of the family you talk to," Mayweather Jr. says. "My father said he was holding me and he said, 'If you're going to shoot me, you're going to shoot the baby, too.' But my mother said he used me as a shield to keep from getting shot. "Either way, I'm just happy I didn't get shot and I'm still here."

Boxing has been a part of Mayweather's life since his childhood. He never seriously considered any other profession. "I think my grandmother saw my potential first," Mayweather said, smiling. "When I was young, I told her, 'I think I should get a job.' She said, 'No, just keep boxing.' ""When I was about 8 or 9, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and sometimes we didn't have electricity", Mayweather says. "When people see what I have now, they have no idea of where I came from and how I didn't have anything growing up."

It was not uncommon for young Floyd to come home from school and find used heroin needles in his front yard . His mother was also addicted to drugs and he had an aunt who died from AIDS because of her drug use. "People don't know the hell I've been through," he says.

The most time that his father spent with him was taking him to the gym to train and work on his boxing, according to Mayweather. "I don't remember him ever taking me anywhere or doing anything that a father would do with a son, going to the park or to the movies or to get ice cream", he says. "I always thought that he liked his daughter (Floyd's older stepsister) better than he liked me because she never got whippings and I got whippings all the time."

Floyd Sr. says Mayweather is not telling the truth about their early relationship. "Even though his daddy did sell drugs, I didn't deprive my son," Floyd Sr. says. "The drugs I sold he was a part of it. He had plenty of food. He had the best clothes and I gave him money. He didn't want for anything. Anybody in Grand Rapids can tell you that I took care of my kids."

Floyd Sr. says he did all of his hustling at night and spent his days with his son, taking him to the gym and training him to be a boxer. "If it wasn't for me he wouldn't be where he is today," Floyd Sr. says.

"I basically raised myself," Mayweather says. "My grandmother did what she could. When she got mad at me I'd go to my mom's house. My life was ups and downs." Floyd Sr. says he knows how much pain his incarceration caused his son, but insists he did the best he could. "I sent him to live with his grandmother," he says. "It wasn't like I left him with strangers."

Boxing became Mayweather's outlet - a way to deal with the absence of his father . As his father served his time, Mayweather, with speed and an uncanny ring sense, put all his energies into boxing. He even dropped out of high school. "I knew that I was going to have to try to take care of my mom and I made the decision that school wasn't that important at the time and I was going to have to box to earn a living," Mayweather says. and won national Golden Gloves championships in 1993 (at 106 lb), 1994 (at 114 lb), and 1996 (at 125 lb). He was given the nickname "Pretty Boy" by his amateur teammates because he had relatively few scars, a result of the defensive techniques that his father (Floyd Mayweather, Sr.) and uncle (Roger Mayweather) had taught him. In his orthodox defensive stance, Mayweather often utilizes the 'shoulder roll'. The shoulder roll is an old-school boxing technique in which the right hand is held normally or slightly higher than normal, the left hand is down around the midsection, and the lead shoulder is raised high on the cheek in order to cover the chin and block punches. The right hand (from orthodox stance) is used as it normally would be to block punches coming from the other side, such as left hooks. From this stance, Mayweather blocks, slips, and deflects most of his opponents' punches, even when cornered, by twisting left and right to the rhythm of their punches.

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mayweather won a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals of the featherweight (57 kg) division.

In the opening round, Mayweather led 10–1 on points over Bakhtiyar Tileganov of Kazakhstan before he won in Round 2 by referee stoppage. In the second round, Mayweather outpointed Artur Gevorgyan of Armenia 16–3. In the quarterfinals, the 19-year-old Mayweather, narrowly defeated the 22-year-old, Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba in an all-action bout to win 12–11, becoming the first U.S boxer to defeat a Cuban in 20 years. The last time this had occurred was at 1976 Summer Olympics when the U.S Olympic boxing team captured five gold medals, among its recipients was boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard. In his semifinal bout against the eventual silver medalist, Serafim Todorov of Bulgaria, Mayweather lost by a controversial decision similarly to the Roy Jones Jr.'s decision. Referee, Hamad Hafaz Shouman of Egypt, mistakenly raised Mayweather's hand, thinking he had won, as the decision was announced giving the bout to the Bulgarian.

The U.S team filed a protest over the Mayweather bout, claiming the judges were intimated by Bulgaria's Emil Jetchev, head of the boxing officials, into favoring Bulgarian Serafim Todorov by a 10-9 decision in the 125-pound semifinal bout. Three of Jetchev's countrymen were in gold medal bouts. Judge Bill Waeckerle, one of the four U.S judges working the games for the International Amateur Boxing Federation, quit both as an Olympic judge and as a federation judge after Mayweather lost a decision loudly booed by the crowd at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum.

"I refuse to be part of an organisation that continues to conduct its officiating in this manner," Waeckerle wrote in a letter of resignation to federation President Anwar Chowdhry.

In the official protest, U.S team manager Gerald Smith said Mayweather landed punches that were not counted, while Todorov was given points without landing a punch. "The judging was totally incompetent," Waeckerle said. The judges failed to impose a mandatory two-point deduction against Todorov after he was warned five times by the referee for slapping.

"Everybody knows Floyd Mayweather is the gold-medal favorite at 57 kilograms," Mayweather said afterward. "In America, it's known as 125 pounds. You know and I know I wasn't getting hit. They say he's the world champion. Now you all know who the real world champion is."

Qualification as a Featherweight for the United States Olympic Team.

Defeated William Jenkins RSC/TKO-3

Defeated James Baker RSCH/TKO-1

Lost to Augie Sanchez PTS (11-12)

Defeated Carlos Navarro PTS (31-11)

Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (12-8) at the Box-offs

Defeated Augie Sanchez PTS (20-10) at the Box-offs

Olympic Results

Defeated Bakhtiyar Tileganov (Kazakhstan) RSCI/TKO-2

Defeated Artur Gevorgyan (Armenia) PTS (16-3)

Defeated Lorenzo Aragon (Cuba) PTS (12-11)

Lost to Serafim Todorov (Bulgaria) PTS (9-10)

''Controversial decision was officially protested (unsuccessfully) by the U.S. team.''

Professional career

Super Featherweight

Mayweather fought his first professional bout on October 11, 1996 against fellow newcomer Roberto Apodaca who was knocked out in round two. Mayweather's trainer at the time was his uncle, Roger Mayweather, because Floyd Mayweather, Sr. was still imprisoned after having been convicted of illegal drug trafficking in 1993. Mayweather, Sr. took over as Mayweather, Jr.'s trainer when he was released from prison (after Mayweather, Jr.'s fourteenth fight—a second-round knockout of Sam Girard). From 1996 to early 1998, Mayweather won most of his fights by knockout or TKO.

Early in his pro-career, Mayweather received praise from all corners of the boxing world and was touted as a prodigal pugilist.

During Floyd Mayweather vs. Tony Duran, the ESPN commentator remarked, "(IBHOF & WBHF trainer) Emmanuel Steward was quoted as saying, there have been very few who have been more talented than this kid (Mayweather), he will probably win two or three world championships, I think he will go on to be the best ever."

The IBHOF trainer and commentator, Gil Clancy, commented before Floyd Mayweather engaged in his 9th professional fight against Jesus Chavez, boldly declaring, "I thought that Floyd Mayweather was the outstanding pro prospect in the entire Olympic games."

In 1998, within two years of entering into professional boxing, Mayweather decisively won his first world title, the WBC super featherweight (130 lb) championship, with an eighth-round technical knockout of ''The Ring'' #1 ranked Super featherweight in the world, Genaro Hernández, after the corner of the outclassed opponent stopped the fight. Hernández had never been defeated at that weight class, until then. Hernández remarked post-fight: "He defeated me, he is quick, smart and I always knew he had the speed. I give him respect. He is a true champ."

With Mayweather's win, he became the Lineal Champion of the division as Genaro Hernández had previously beaten Azumah Nelson, whose dominance of the super featherweight division had prompted all boxing publications to give him, the vacant Lineal Championship. ''The Ring'' stopped awarding belts to world champions in the 1990s, but began again in 2002, Azumah Nelson had won his Lineal status in the 1990s, therefore ''The Ring's'' vacant title was not awarded to him, Hernández or Mayweather, although it was not needed as Mayweather was ''The Ring'' #1 ranked super featherweight.

Furthermore, Mayweather became the first 1996 U.S Olympian to win a world title. Following his victory, Floyd Mayweather's promoter Bob Arum had the following to say: "We believe in our heart of hearts that Floyd Mayweather is the successor in a line that starts with Ray Robinson, goes to Muhammad Ali, then Sugar Ray Leonard", Bob Arum trumpets. "We believe that he epitomizes that style of fighting."

After capturing the title, Mayweather defended it against top contender Angel Manfredy in dominating fashion with a TKO victory in round two, giving Manfredy his first defeat in four years.

By the end of 1998, Mayweather was ranked by the ''The Ring'' as the #8 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world and became one of the youngest recipients of ''The Ring'' "Fighter of the Year" award, aged only 21, the same age Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali had won their first awards.

In 1999, Mayweather continued his domination over the super featherweight division by defending his title three more times. Mayweather's second defense of his title, was against the Argentine Carlos Rios, winning by unanimous decision. Mayweather, fighting past the eighth round for only the third time in his career, won on the judges' cards 120-110, 119-108, 120-109. Mayweather's third title defense was against Justin Juuko, winning by ninth round knockout. Juuko could not beat the count of 10 by referee Mitch Halpern and the fight was scored a knockout for Mayweather at 1 minute 20 seconds of the round.Mayweather's final title defense of 1999, was against Carlos Gerena with Mayweather winning by seventh round referee technical decision (RTD). Mayweather said post-fight, "I want to show the world that along with Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones, Jr., I'm the best fighter in the world." This dominance did not go unnoticed in the boxing world and by the end of the year, the 22-year-old Mayweather was ranked ''The Ring'' #2 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, behind boxing great Roy Jones, Jr..

Before he made the fifth successful defense of his title, against former WBC featherweight champion Gregorio Vargas in early 2000, Mayweather fired his father as his manager and replaced him with James Prince. A few months after the fight, the rift between the father and son grew and Mayweather, Jr. fired Mayweather, Sr. as his trainer as well. In an interview in 2004, Mayweather, Jr. said that he loves Mayweather, Sr. as his father but feels that he has better chemistry with Roger, and his father had put too much pressure on him to be perfect. The younger Mayweather, in his fifth title defense, won a near shutout over 'Goyo' Vargas in Las Vegas. In the 10th round, Mayweather overheard HBO announcer Jim Lampley say that the champ had switched to a southpaw stance for the second time in the bout Mayweather leaned ringside and said, "It was the third time." Even after a six-month layoff, Mayweather was elusive. In the sixth round Mayweather dropped Vargas with a hook to the ribs. Mayweather cruised to a comfortable unanimous decision.

Roger Mayweather returned to his role as Mayweather, Jr.'s trainer in his next bout—a non-title Lightweight fight against Emanuel Burton. Mayweather would go on to win by technical knockout in round nine.

In one of the more defining and memorable fights of Mayweather's career, Mayweather fought the hard-hitting, former IBF super featherweight champion Diego Corrales (33-0 27 KO's). Coming in to the bout, both Mayweather and Corrales were undefeated and neither fighter had touched the canvas. Mayweather was at the time, ''The Ring'' #2 ranked Super featherweight in the world and ''The Ring'' #7 pound-for-pound while Corrales was ''The Ring'' #1 ranked super featherweight in the world and ''The Ring'' #5 pound-for-pound. Before the fight was announced, Mayweather had stated he wanted to fight Corrales, who was facing jail time for allegedly beating up his pregnant wife."I want Diego because I'm doing it for all the battered women across America", Mayweather said. "Just like he beat that woman, I'm going to beat him." While both fighters were the same age, 23, Corrales had multiple physical advantages over Mayweather such two inches in height, an inch in reach and despite coming in to the official weight-in both at the 130 Lbs super featherweight limit, Carroles came to the ring, weighting unofficially 146 Lbs to Mayweather's 136½ Lbs; thereby making Carroles 9½ Lbs heavier.In the bout, Mayweather won every round and knocked down Corrales five times (three times in round 7 and twice in round 10). After the fifth knockdown, Corrales' cornermen climbed onto the apron and stopped the fight, thereby establishing Mayweather as one of the claimants to boxing's mythical pound-for-pound title. At the time of the stoppage, Mayweather was way ahead on the scorecards, leading by the official tallies of 89–79, 90–79, and 90–78.Throughout the Corrales fight, HBO commentators and analysts made notable comments of Mayweather, with Larry Merchant stating, "Mayweather fights in a tradition of boxing and quick handedness that goes back in Michigan, all the way to fighters like Sugar Ray Robinson."Harold Lederman commented, saying, "Jim (Lampley), I gotta tell ya, I'm terribly impressed, I don't think I've seen an exhibition of boxing like this since Willie Pep, this kid is unbelievable, great legs, great speed, unbelievable ring-generalship. I mean he's got tremendous presence in that ring, Floyd Mayweather knows where he is, every minute of this fight..."

Corrales landed 60 of 205 punches and landed no more than nine punches in a single round. Mayweather landed 220 of 414 punches. Corrales was unable to land any clean shots as he stalked Mayweather through the early rounds. He landed an average of six punches a round, according to Compubox stats - the only time that a fighter has landed in single digits in the 20 years CompuBox has been tracking punch stats.

After the fight, Mayweather remarked, "I would like to fight Prince Naseem (Hamed), hopefully we can meet at 128 (Lbs) or he can come up-to 130 (Lbs), we can fight or I can fight the winner of Casamayor..." "Prince Naseem isn't going to fight you," intervened HBO commentator Larry Merchant, "after he saw this, it aint gonna happen." "I really want to fight Prince Naseem..." Mayweather continued, "but hopefully I can face the winner of Casamayor (vs) Freites." Although, both fights did not materialise, Mayweather's victim, Diego Corrales, would go on to hand Freites (the winner of the Casamayor vs. Freites fight), his first professional defeat. Corrales would also go onto defeat Casamayor in a rematch of their first bout.

Afterward Arum was ecstatic about his new star. "Better than Sugar Ray Leonard", he gushed. "And did you see him at those press conferences...?"

The fight was met with tremendous acclamation throughout the boxing world and sports in general. 'Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s speed was dazzling. His power was unexpected.' -CBS, '... a near flawless performance...' -BBC, 'Floyd Mayweather Jr., displaying blazing speed and punishing power...' -New York Daily News, '... a fistic masterpiece.' -Sports Illustrated.

On October 10, 2001, legendary boxing trainer Eddie Futch, died aged 90. Tim Smith of the New York Daily News, recollected an encounter with the famed trainer in an article- 'One of the last times I saw Futch was before the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Diego Corrales Junior lightweight title bout in Vegas. Futch was talking about how much he admired Mayweather's style, how Mayweather was such a beautiful boxer, able to slip along the ropes and avoid punches. Corrales said he was going to neutralize Mayweather's hand speed by hitting Mayweather on the arms.

"I guess he thinks he's going to stand there and let him hit him on the arms all night," said Futch, who correctly predicted that Mayweather would completely dismantle Corrales in a defensive masterpiece. Futch had a way of cutting to the heart of a matter. I don't know anyone in boxing who won't miss him. I don't know anyone in boxing that can take his place.'

On May 26, 2001, Floyd Mayweather, fighting in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, pounded out a 12-round unanimous decision over future IBF super featherweight title holder Carlos Hernández to retain his WBC super featherweight title. Calling it "one of the toughest nights of my career," the 130-pound champion overcame injuries in both hands to improve his record to 26-0. "He is a very, very tough fighter," Mayweather said of the challenger, whose record fell to 33-3-1. "I'm disappointed in my performance." Mayweather, 24, suffered the first knockdown of his career when he hit Hernández with a left hook in round six, which caused him sufficient pain that he dropped his injured left hand to the canvas. He wasn't hit, but was given a standing eight-count by the referee.

Mayweather's last fight in the super featherweight division was against future super featherweight and lightweight title holder Jesús Chávez. Jesús Chávez was the WBC's top-ranked contender and came into the fight with a 31-fight winning streak. This was Mayweather's eighth defense of the WBC super featherweight title, which he had held for more than three years. He won when Chávez's corner stopped the fight after round 9. Mayweather had such difficulty making weight for this fight that he did not eat for four days before the weigh-in. Jesús Chávez stated after the fight, "He's (Mayweather) the champ! And now I become his number one fan."

Mayweather commented after the fight, "Although it will take some time to make the match, I want to fight Kostya Tszyu." Tszyu, an Australian-based Russian, by then had established himself as the best Light welterweight in the world. Mayweather did not get a chance at fighting Tszyu, but he would go on to fight Ricky Hatton, the man who defeated Tszui and won ''The Ring'' light welterweight title.

By the end of 2001, Mayweather was still ranked ''The Ring'' #1 super featherweight in the world and was ''The Ring'' #5 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.

Lightweight

In his first fight as a lightweight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. took on WBC champion & ''The Ring'' #1 ranked Lightweight, José Luis Castillo. Despite both fighters weighting officially within the 135 Lb Lightweight limit, Mayweather came to the ring weighting unofficially 138½ Lbs to Castillo's 147½ Lbs; giving Castillo a 9 Lb weight advantage over Mayweather. He defeated Castillo and won the WBC and vacant ''The Ring'' lightweight titles with a 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena before a crowd of 6,920. With Mayweather's win, he became the first ''The Ring'' lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker. Judges Jerry Roth and John Keane scored it 115-111, and judge Anek Hongtongkam scored it 116-111, a decision that was loudly booed by the pro-Castillo crowd. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 115-111. Also, the New York Daily News scorecard had Mayweather winning, 116-112.

Castillo (45-5-1, 41 KOs) could not touch the speedy Mayweather in the first round, with Castillo throwing twenty-seven punches and landed only three. Although, after round one, Larry Merchant pointed-out, "Mayweather made a comment in the corner about his left shoulder. We'll see if somethings wrong with it, he seems to be rotating it, trying to keep it loose." George Foreman noticed likewise, adding, "Massage my left shoulder, he (Mayweather) said, that's not a good sign."

Within the first minute, of the second round, Castillo went down on a shot by Mayweather which was ruled by the referee as a slip. Later in the fight, Harold Lederman alluded to it, saying "... By the way, that knockdown in the second round (is) extremely questionable, I thought Floyd did throw a left hook and this guy (Castillo) went down at the end of the hook but what you going to do, it's a judgement call by the referee, so it doesn't go as a 10-8 round..." Drakulich took a point away from Castillo for hitting on the break in the eighth round after several warnings through-out the fight. With Castillo continuously hitting on the break, this led undoubtedly to a large accumulation of his power-punches landing. Commentator, George Foreman agreed with the decision, saying, "That's what you want a referee to do," although his counterpart, Larry Merchant has an alternative view, "I think this referee has been altogether too involved in the fight. Too officious." Drakulich struck again in the ninth round, this time taking a point away from Mayweather for using his elbows. Mayweather won the fight by using his jab effectively and by staying away from Castillo (45-5-1) much of the fight. Also Mayweather, who injured his left shoulder on the last day of training, changed to a southpaw stance on several occasions to throw more right hands.

At the end of the fight, Harold Lederman had Castillo winning 115-111. ESPN's Max Kellerman disputed Lederman's dubious scoring, writing in his boxing column, the following: "Harold Lederman, the (HBO) unofficial ringside television judge, gave the third round to Castillo, which I think demonstrates that Mayweather suffers from the same scoring syndrome that afflicted Pernell Whitaker. Mayweather is so seldom hit cleanly in his face, that when a clean shot is landed against him it registers all out of proportion in the observer's mind. Meanwhile, the three clean shots Mayweather just landed against his opponent do not make the same kind of impression."

Compubox statistics indicated that Castillo landed more overall punches and significantly more power shots over the course of the fight, however these statistics did not accurately reflect the judging as rounds are scored in isolation. Also, Mayweather out-scored Castillo with jabs thrown and landed. Lederman's scoring for this fight can be seen as inconsistent, for instance, in both of the Bernard Hopkins vs. Jermain Taylor fights, Lederman had Taylor winning, 115-113, despite Hopkins landing more overall punches and significantly more power shots over the course of both fights. Jermain Taylor did throw and land more jabs.

In the post-fight interview, Mayweather said, "My last training day, I hurt my rotator cuff in my left shoulder, so I couldn’t use my jab the way I want to. My left wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be, but I didn’t want to have no excuses, you know, like other champions, you know, when they get hurt they won’t even show up to the fight. I get hurt I keep fighting, you know, I want to bring the fans a victory."

Due to the supposed closeness of their first bout, Mayweather accepted an immediate rematch with Castillo that took place on December 7, 2002. Before the rematch, Mayweather again reiterated that he had torn his left rotator cuff two days before the first fight and could not throw a jab or a left hook. He had surgery following the controversial decision over Castillo and he said his shoulder had completely healed now.

The smaller Mayweather was again outweighed by Castillo on the night of the fight, as Castillo weighed 147 Lbs to Mayweather's 138. In the rematch, Mayweather used his quick footwork, combinations and his jab specialty to coast to another unanimous decision victory, this time with no controversy and proving certainly that he had fought the first fight with Castillo, injured. There were no knockdowns and no notable exchanges in the fight, with Mayweather winning 115-113 on two scorecards and 116-113 on a third. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 116-112. Also, HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman and fellow analyst Larry Merchant both had scored it 115-113 for Mayweather.

On April 19, 2003, Floyd Mayweather Jr. successfully defended his WBC Lightweight title with a lively unanimous decision over Dominican Victoriano Sosa. Mayweather (30-0) fought another tactically sound 12-round bout against an aggressive challenge from Sosa (35-3-2).

Mayweather's next fight (on November 1, 2003) was in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He fought against the WBC's #1 ranked contender, Phillip Ndou, whose record was 31–1 with 30 KOs.

During the days leading up-to the fight, Nelson Mandela had invited Ndou to his office for a pre-fight pep talk before his departure for the States, advising him to "keep Mayweather on the outside with the jab, work the body and the head will become available." The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, also dropped a note saying he had "full confidence" Ndou would put up a performance to make all South Africans proud and that he would return home with the coveted WBC belt. When told of his opponent's high level support, Mayweather responded by saying: "Nelson Mandela's a great man, he's big in America, but Mandela can't get in there and fight for him."

Mayweather dominated N'dou before flooring him with a series of right hands in the seventh. N'dou got up on shaky legs, forcing a stoppage at 1:50. In the fifth, Mayweather connected on a series of straight rights and lefts, and when Ndou would not go down, Mayweather gave a little smile and then continued the barrage. At times, Mayweather, clad in black trunks outlined with fur, toyed with Ndou.

By the end of 2003, Mayweather was still ''The Ring'' Lightweight Champion and was ''The Ring'' #5 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world.

Super Lightweight

Mayweather, 27, made his 140-pound debut as he clinically dissected former titlist DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley, knocking him down twice officially in rounds 8 & 10, scoring a lopsided decision, 119-108 (twice) and 119-107. The fight was billed as a WBC elimination bout, with the winner earning a shot at 140-pound champ Arturo Gatti.

"Mayweather can flat-out fight," Corley's trainer Don Turner said. "He's like magic. He makes you move into the punches." Mayweather would, after this fight, shortly ascend to #1 on the USA TODAY's pound-for-pound rankings with Middleweight Champion Bernard Hopkins at #2.

On January 22, 2005, Mayweather fought against Henry Bruseles in another WBC Junior welterweight title eliminator bout. Mayweather easily outclassed Bruseles throughout the first seven rounds. In round 8, Mayweather knocked down Bruseles twice, and the fight was stopped. The win over Bruseles made Mayweather the mandatory challenger for Arturo Gatti's WBC Super Lightweight Championship.

The pay-per-view fight between Mayweather and ''The Ring'' #1 ranked contender, Arturo Gatti, occurred on June 25, 2005 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the fans heavily supported Gatti. Before the fight, Mayweather was supremely confident. He described Gatti with terms such as "a C+ fighter", "a fake", and "a blown-up club fighter." Near the end of round 1, Mayweather pushed Gatti's head down in close, Gatti broke and left himself vulnerable while Mayweather continued to land punches. Gatti turned to the referee to complain and Mayweather capitalised, sending Gatti to the canvas with more shots for what was scored a knockdown. Throughout the next five rounds, the much faster Mayweather landed with nearly every big shot against Gatti, who had no offense with which he could return fire. Gatti's corner stopped the fight after round 6, giving Mayweather his third world title.

In the post-fight interview, Mayweather praised Gatti and claimed that his pre-fight comments "were just to sell tickets." Among many boxing experts, Mayweather's one-sided dominance over Gatti solidified his position as one of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Compubox had Mayweather outlanding Gatti by a total of 168 to 41, Gatti had landed only 10 power-punches (anything other that a jab).

Mayweather's fight with Gatti would be his last in the Light welterweight division, Mayweather would leave as ''The Ring'' #1 ranked contender, with Ricky Hatton as ''The Ring'' Light welterweight Champion.

Welterweight

After his fight with Gatti, Mayweather moved up to the Welterweight division. On November 19, 2005, Mayweather fought a non-title bout at against welterweight Sharmba Mitchell. In round 3, Mayweather knocked down Mitchell with a straight right hand to the head. In round 6, another straight right hand—this one to Mitchell's body—dropped Mitchell again and ended the fight.

On April 8, 2006, Mayweather defeated Zab Judah for the IBF welterweight title by unanimous decision. Beforehand, the fight had been jeopardized after Judah lost the WBA, WBC and ''The Ring'' welterweight titles to Carlos Manuel Baldomir on January 7, 2006, but Mayweather's and Judah's camps reworked the contract and decided that the fight would go on. In the fight, Mayweather stayed calm during Judah's aggressive early rounds. Mayweather began to dominate Judah in round 5, and Judah eventually bled. Near the conclusion of the tenth round, Judah hit Mayweather with a left hand that was clearly below the belt and followed up with a right-handed rabbit punch. After referee Richard Steele called time with five seconds remaining in the round, Roger Mayweather entered the ring and approached Judah, but Steele restrained him. Judah's father and trainer, Yoel Judah, entered the ring as well. Floyd remained in the neutral corner while both Yoel and Zab scuffled with Roger (and others who had entered the ring) until police and security managed to restore order. Roger was thrown out, but the fight continued and went the scheduled 12 rounds. Mayweather won by the official scores of 116–112, 117–111, and 119–109. Compubox statistics showed Mayweather as landing 188 punches to 82 for Judah.

Five days after the fight, the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided not to overturn the result of the bout, but Roger Mayweather was fined US$200,000 and suspended for one year. The suspension entailed that Roger could train Mayweather, Jr. in the gym but could not work the corner during fights. On April 17, 2006, the IBF ordered a rematch between Mayweather and Judah, but the NSAC suspended Judah for one year on May 8, 2006. Mayweather vacated the IBF title on June 20, 2006.

After his fight against Judah, it was reported that Mayweather rejected an offer of US$8 million to fight Antonio Margarito, citing his split with promoter Bob Arum as the reason. Oscar De la Hoya, however, postponed his decision until 2007, leaving Mayweather to choose his next opponent. Mayweather considered moving up in weight again to fight junior middleweight champion Cory Spinks, but because of negative publicity and Spinks' impending mandatory defense of his title, he finally decided to face WBC and ''The Ring'' welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006 in Las Vegas.

The bout took place on November 4, 2006. Despite having not lost in over 8 years, Baldomir was seen as a heavy underdog in the fight. Mayweather would ultimately defeat Baldomir by unanimous decision for both titles. Ringside punch statistics showed Mayweather landing 199 of 458 punches, while Baldomir landed just 79 of 670. Mayweather earned $8 million for the fight, while Baldomir was paid $1.6 million. Both were career highs in earnings for each fighter at the time.

During the fight, Baldomir chased Mayweather, unable to land any meaningful shots but tried to remain the busier fighter, while Mayweather picked away with sharp jabs and hooks and cut Baldomir over his left eye in the first round. This pattern continued throughout the fight. The defensive-minded Mayweather put on what many witnesses and Mayweather himself called a "boxing clinic" to take Baldomir's WBC and Ring welterweight titles in a lopsided 12 round decision. Two judges had Mayweather winning all 12 rounds, with the other giving all but two rounds to Mayweather. After the fight Mayweather called out for a fight with Oscar De la Hoya.

With Mayweather's win, he became the first fighter since Roberto Durán to have captured ''The Ring'' title in both the Lightweight and Welterweight divisions. Mayweather also captured his third Lineal Championship in as many weight-classes (Super featherweight, Lightweight and Welterweight), following in the footsteps of such fighters as Henry Armstrong and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Super Welterweight

The World Awaits

Mayweather's next match was the long-anticipated superfight against six-division champion and current WBC Super Welterweight titleholder Oscar De La Hoya on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya's belt was on the line, which required Mayweather to move up in weight from 147 pounds to 154. However, Mayweather was outweighed by more than 10 pounds on the night of the fight, coming in at only 150 pounds. Despite De La Hoya's insistence that money was not a factor, the Mayweather-De La Hoya bout set the record for most PPV buys for a boxing match with 2.7 million households, shattering the record of 1.95 million for Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson II. Around $120 million in revenue was generated by the PPV, which set another record. With the percentages factored in, Oscar De La Hoya earned $58 million for the bout, the highest purse ever for a fighter. The previous record was $35 million, held by Tyson and Holyfield. Floyd Mayweather earned about $25 million for the fight.

At one time, Floyd Mayweather, Sr., Mayweather, Jr.'s father, was in talks to train Oscar De La Hoya and be in his corner during the fight but he decided to train with Freddie Roach. Mayweather won the fight by split decision in 12 rounds, capturing the World Boxing Council (WBC) title. However, many analysts and ringside observers felt Mayweather should have won the clear unanimous decision. In the early rounds, De La Hoya had some success cutting off the ring, attempting to pound Mayweather on the inside. Despite being very active on the inside, many of De La Hoya's punches were ineffective and landed on Mayweathers arms or shoulders. By the middle of the fight, it was seen as an even bout by the announcers. However, Mayweather turned the tide in the middle and late rounds, often hitting De La Hoya at will. Official scorecards read 116-112, 115-113 (Mayweather), and 115-113 (De La Hoya). Compubox had Mayweather out landing De La Hoya 207 to 122 in total punches and 134 to 82 in power punches, as well as having better accuracy in the entire fight. After the bout, Mayweather contemplated retirement, saying he had nothing left to prove in the boxing world.

Return to Welterweight

Undefeated

After his fight with De La Hoya, Mayweather decided to relinquish his WBC junior middleweight championship and kept his WBC welterweight championship. On July 28, 2007, it was announced that Mayweather would come out of his short retirement to fight ''The Ring'' Light welterweight Champion, Ricky Hatton which was promoted by Oscar De La Hoya's promotion company Golden Boy Promotions and Floyd Mayweather's "Mayweather Promotions." The bout was labelled "Undefeated" and took place on December 8, 2007, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight which was the biggest welterweight showdown of two undefeated fighters since Oscar De La Hoya and Félix Trinidad met in their 1999 superfight. In the build up to their fight, Mayweather claimed that he was the greatest boxer ever, saying: "I respect what Robinson and Ali did for the sport. But I am the greatest, and this is my time.

Mayweather controlled the fight from the start and knocked Hatton out in the 10th round to retain the welterweight championship. Hatton suffered a cut over his right eye in round three from the punches of Mayweather, and it seemed that it was at this point that his pace and movement began to slow. In round six Hatton lost a point for punching the back of Floyd's head as he was caught draped on the ropes. In the 10th round Hatton was caught with a check left hook thrown from Mayweather's hip, and as a result he fell forward head first into the turnbuckle and hit the deck. Hatton managed to make it to his feet, but was clearly dazed. Two more big lefts in a flurry put Ricky down again and Cortez stopped it at 1:35 of round 10. Official scorecards read 88-82, 89-81, and 89-81, at the time of stoppage, all in favor of Mayweather.

After the fight, Mayweather said that Hatton was one of the toughest fighters he had ever fought, that he just kept coming and coming, and that he wants to promote fights, with Hatton being his first client. Mayweather announced his retirement from boxing to concentrate on his promotional company.

Comeback

Number One/Numero Uno

On May 2, 2009, it was confirmed that Mayweather was coming out of a 21-month retirement to fight ''The Ring'' Lightweight Champion & ''The Ring'' #2 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, Juan Manuel Márquez at a catchweight of 144 lb on July 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO PPV. At the time, Marquez was the number 2 rated pound for pound boxer in the world. The fight was postponed due to a rib injury Mayweather received during training. HBO's reality series 24/7 was also postponed to start on August 29. The fight took place on September 19, 2009 in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day, traditionally a big boxing weekend. During the official weigh in for their 144 lb bout, Mayweather failed to meet the required limit by weighing in at 146 lb, two pounds heavier than Marquez. He was subsequently fined as a result. However, it was later revealed that the contract was changed so that Mayweather could make weight within the welterweight limit of 140–147 lb as long as Marquez received a large guaranteed sum of money. Mayweather won a unanimous decision after 12 rounds in one of the most statistically lop sided fights between two world class opponents. Scorecards read 120-107, 119-108, and 118-109, all in favor of Mayweather. Marquez only managed to land 12% of his total 583 punches while Mayweather landed 59% of 490 total punches. This fight marks only the fifth time in boxing history that a non-heavyweight fight sold more than 1 million pay-per-views, with the official HBO numbers coming in at over 1 million buys equalling a total of approximately $52 million. Four of those fights all featured Oscar De La Hoya as the main event, making this fight the one of two events where a non-heavyweight fight sold over 1 million PPVs without Oscar De La Hoya. The other fight was Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto which sold 1.25 million PPVs.

Who R U Picking?

Negotiations for a proposed matchup between Mayweather and ''The Ring'' #3 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, Shane Mosley immediately began after Andre Berto pulled out of his scheduled January 30 unification bout with the latter, due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Both sides eventually agreed to fight on May 1, 2010 for Mosley's WBA "Super" welterweight title. It was later revealed that Floyd Mayweather refused to pay sanctioning fees required by WBA, Mayweather said "all belts do is collect dust". However, the belt was only on the line for Mosley to defend against Mayweather. Both Mayweather and Mosley agreed to Olympic-style testing for this bout. Mosley started the fight well, landing two solid right hands in Round 2 which caused Mayweather's knees to buckle. Mayweather recovered well, and went on to dominate the remainder of the fight, soundly outboxing Mosley and showing more aggression than in his recent fights. Mayweather eventually won a unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the fight 119–109, 119–109, and 118–110. In round 4, Compubox picked up Mosley throwing seven power punches without landing any, making Mayweather the second boxer after Roy Jones Jr. to go an entire round without being hit by a power punch. After the fight, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, stated that he believes Mayweather is the best in the game right now.

The fight was the second highest selling non heavyweight pay-per-view bout in the history of boxing, with 1.4 million buys. HBO officially released that the fight generated $78.3 million in revenue. After the fight Mayweather expressed interest in moving up in weight to capture a world title in six different weight classes and to challenge newly crowned middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

Negotiations with Manny Pacquiao

Seven-division world champion Manny Pacquiao had reportedly agreed to fight Mayweather on March 13, 2010 for a split of $50 million which the promoters of both camp already agreed. However, the fight was called off due to disagreements about Olympic style drug tests. Floyd Mayweather's camp wanted blood tests by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, which will conduct the tests anytime from training up to the fight date. However the Pacquiao camp refused to provide these samples, only willing to allow blood to be taken from Pacquiao if the test were scheduled. On the other hand, Pacquiao's coach, Freddie Roach, has commented that he would allow a blood sample to be taken from Pacquiao if there was a cut-off date for the blood testing or at least one week before the fight. In an attempt to resolve their differences, the two camps went through a process of mediation before a retired judge. After the mediation process Mayweather agreed to a 14-day no blood testing window. However, Pacquiao refused and instead only agreed to a 24-day no blood testing window. Consequently, on January 7, 2010, Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum declared that the fight was officially off and that he has offered the chance to fight Pacquiao instead to Joshua Clottey, while Mayweather accepted the offer to fight Shane Mosley.

It was also reported that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Top Rank Chief Bob Arum were trying to work out the failed negotiation for a fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather has asked Pacquiao to undergo random blood and urine testing up until the fight day. Pacquiao finally then agreed to give blood up until 14 days before the fight, which is closer to the fight day than the 18-day cut-off in Mayweather's previous bout against Mosley. Pacquiao said that giving blood too close to the fight day will weaken him, and also stating that he has a fear of needles, despite having tattoo's on his body. On June 12, 2010, the President of Golden Boy Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya, stated during an interview with a Spanish network that the deal for the fight was very close and the negotiation process has been very difficult. On June 30, 2010, Arum announced that the management of both sides had agreed to terms, that all points had been settled (including Pacquiao agreeing to submit to both blood and urine testing) and only the signature of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was needed to seal the deal that could have earned both fighters at least $40 million each. Arum also announced that Pacquiao accepted the terms of the random drug testing, blood and urine, leading up to the fight. Mayweather was then given a two-week deadline for the fight contract to be signed.

On July 15, 2010, Mayweather was given until Friday midnight to sign the fight. The next day the Top Rank website embedded a countdown clock on their website with the heading "Money" Time: Mayweather's Decision. On July 17, 2010, Arum announced that there was no word from Mayweather's camp and the deal for a November 13, 2010 fight with Mayweather was not reached.

On July 19, 2010, after waiting for Mayweather's response, Leonard Ellerbe, one of Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s closest advisers, denied that negotiations for a super fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao had ever taken place. Ellerbe stated that Bob Arum was not telling the truth, and that Pacquiao never once agreed to testing up until the fight. Bob Arum later criticized Oscar De La Hoya and his Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer for denying that negotiations took place, when De La Hoya himself had previously stated that they were "very, very close in finalizing the contracts". Arum revealed that HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg acted as the mediator between Mayweather’s handlers and those of Pacquiao’s from Top Rank Promotions. On July 26, 2010, Ross Greenburg said in a statement that he has been negotiating with a representative from each side since May 2, 2010, carefully trying to put the fight together and he did in fact act as a go-between in negotiations with the two sides, but they were unable to come to an agreement at all, contradicting what Arum and Top Rank had previously said. Floyd Mayweather Jr., after the second negotiation had been officially declared off, told the Associated Press that he had fought sixty days ago, and that he was in no rush to fight Pacquiao and was not really thinking about boxing at the moment. Almost a year later, on July 8, 2011, Manny Pacquiao's top adviser Michael Koncz confirmed that Pacquiao had in fact never agreed to testing up until fight day, which contradicted what Bob Arum and the Pacquiao camp had been saying for well over a year.

Return to the Ring

Star Power On June 7, 2011, Mayweather announced via Twitter that he was set to fight WBC Welterweight Champion & ''The Ring'' #2 ranked Welterweight, Victor Ortiz on September 17, 2011. Ortiz was Mayweather's first challenger in 16 months.

The fight took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena. From round one, Mayweather used his speed, skills and accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in control through the first three rounds (judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Mayweather), but in the fourth round, Ortiz found some success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional headbutt, opening a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee, Joe Cortez, immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Ortiz, seemingly acknowledging his wrongdoing, hugged Mayweather in the corner and even appeared to kiss him.

Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight, albeit unauthoritatively and without putting them in a neutral corner. Both fighters touched gloves and Ortiz gave Mayweather another hug. At this point, it was noted that Cortez, the referee, was not looking at the fighters. As Ortiz let go, Mayweather took advantage of Ortiz not having his hands up and unloaded a left hook that wobbled Ortiz. Ortiz then looked at the referee and Mayweather connected with a flush right hand to Ortiz's face. Ortiz dropped and was unable to beat Cortez's count as the crowd of 14,687 jeered Mayweather. Although Mayweather's controversial victory was generally accepted as legal, it was also labelled as a sucker punch and unsportsmanlike.

After the fight, Ortiz claimed that he was merely obeying the referee's instructions when he was 'blindsided' by Mayweather, while Mayweather defended his actions by saying that "in the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times".

Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz generated buys from 1.25 million homes with a value of $78,440,000 in pay-per-view revenue. These numbers make the event the second highest grossing non-heavyweight pay-per-view event of all time. Mayweather has appeared in the three biggest non-heavyweight pay-per-view events in the sport’s history, including Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya ($136,853,700), Mayweather vs. Ortiz ($78,440,000 million) and Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley ($78,330,000 million).

Mayweather also became the first man to fight three consecutive times on pay-per-view and break 1 million domestic buys each time.

Return to Super Welterweight

Floyd Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, announced on November 2, 2011, that Mayweather will return to the ring on May 5, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After negotiations with Manny Pacquiao failed again, on February 1, 2012, it was confirmed that Mayweather would be moving up in weight to fight WBA (Super) Light Middleweight Champion & ''The Ring'' #1 ranked Light Middleweight, Miguel Cotto.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|42 Wins (26 knockouts, 16 decisions), 0 Losses, 0 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center | || ||align=left| Miguel Cotto | || ? || |align=left| |align=left| |- align=center |Win |42–0 ||align=left| Victor Ortiz | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|41–0||align=left| Shane Mosley | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|40–0||align=left| Juan Manuel Márquez | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|39–0||align=left| Ricky Hatton | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|38–0||align=left| Oscar De La Hoya | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|37–0||align=left| Carlos Baldomir | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|36–0||align=left| Zab Judah | | | |align=left| Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|35–0||align=left| Sharmba Mitchell | | | |align=left| Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|34–0||align=left| Arturo Gatti | | | |align=left| Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|33–0||align=left| Henry Bruseles | | | |align=left| American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|32–0||align=left| DeMarcus Corley | | | |align=left| Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|31–0||align=left| Phillip N'dou | | | |align=left| Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|30–0||align=left| Victoriano Sosa | | | |align=left| Selland Arena, Fresno, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|29–0||align=left| José Luis Castillo | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|28–0||align=left| José Luis Castillo | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|27–0||align=left| Jesús Chávez | | | |align=left| Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|26–0||align=left| Carlos Hernández | | | |align=left| Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|25–0||align=left| Diego Corrales | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|24–0||align=left| Emanuel Augustus | | | |align=left| Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|23–0||align=left| Gregorio Vargas | | | |align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|22–0||align=left| Carlos Gerena | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|21–0||align=left| Justin Juuko | | | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|20–0||align=left| Carlos Rios | | | |align=left| Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|19–0||align=left| Angel Manfredy | | | |align=left| Miccosukee Indian Reservation, Miami, Florida}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|18–0||align=left| Genaro Hernández | | | |align=left| Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|17–0||align=left| Tony Pep | | | |align=left| Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|16–0||align=left| Gustavo Cuello | | | |align=left| Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|15–0||align=left| Miguel Melo | | | |align=left| Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|14–0||align=left| Sam Girard | | | |align=left| Bally's Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|13–0||align=left| Hector Arroyo | | | |align=left| Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, Mississippi}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|12–0||align=left| Angelo Nuñez | | | |align=left| Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|11–0||align=left| Felipe Garcia | | | |align=left| Qwest Arena, Boise, Idaho}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|10–0||align=left| Louie Leija | | | |align=left| El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|9–0||align=left| Jesús Chávez | | | |align=left| Grand Casino Biloxi, Biloxi, Mississippi}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|8–0||align=left| Larry O'Shields | | | |align=left| Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|7–0||align=left| Tony Duran | | | |align=left| Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|6–0||align=left| Bobby Giepert | | | |align=left| Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|5–0||align=left| Kino Rodriguez | | | |align=left| DeltaPlex Arena, Walker, Michigan}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|4–0||align=left| Edgar Ayala | | | |align=left| Swiss Park Hall, Chula Vista, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|3–0||align=left| Jerry Cooper | | | |align=left| Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|2–0||align=left| Reggie Sanders | | | |align=left| Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |align=center|1–0|| align=left| Roberto Apodaca | ||| |align=left| Texas Station, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left|

Titles in boxing

WBC Super Featherweight Champion (130 lbs)

WBC Lightweight Champion (135 lbs)

WBC Light Welterweight Champion (140 lbs)

IBF Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)

WBC Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)

WBC Super Welterweight Champion (154 lbs)

WBC Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)

WBC Emeritus Super Welterweight Champion (154 lbs)

''The Ring'' Lightweight Champion (135 lbs)

''The Ring'' Welterweight Champion (147 lbs)

World Wrestling Entertainment

Mayweather appeared at World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s No Way Out pay-per-view on February 17, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he was involved in a storyline physical altercation with The Big Show, after Mayweather jumped a security barricade and attacked him with a punching combination, in an attempt to help Rey Mysterio, whom Show threatened to chokeslam. Originally, Mayweather took on a babyface role in the storylines, though met with some reluctance from the fans. The attack resulted in Big Show receiving an actual broken nose, reportedly not part of the storyline. The following night on ''Raw'', Big Show challenged Mayweather to a one on one No Disqualification match at WrestleMania XXIV, which Mayweather accepted. At WrestleMania, Mayweather defeated Big Show by knockout using brass knuckles to maintain his unbeaten record. Mayweather claimed that he was paid $20,000,000 USD for the fight, but WWE's financial statements do not show the number.

Mayweather was the guest host for WWE Raw in Las Vegas on August 24, 2009. He interfered with a tag team match that resulted in a loss for the Big Show (now heel again) and his partner Chris Jericho as Mayweather gave Montel Vontavious Porter brass knuckles to use to knock Jericho out, giving Porter and his new tag team partner Mark Henry the win and a shot at the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles at WWE Breaking Point against Big Show and Jericho. He then celebrated with Henry and Porter, thus turning face. Later on in the night he was involved in a backstage segment with Mr. McMahon, D-Generation X, and Carlito where he helped Mr. McMahon get ready for his 6 Man Tag Team Match against Legacy along with DX. During the segment, McMahon knocked out Carlito.

Dancing with the Stars

Mayweather appeared on the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars. His partner was the famous Ukrainian American born professional ballroom dancer Karina Smirnoff. On October 16, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple to be eliminated from the competition and came in 9th place.

Domestic violence cases

In 2002, Mayweather was charged with two counts of domestic violence and one count of misdemeanor battery. He received a 6 month suspended sentence, 2 days of house arrest and was ordered to perform 48 hours of community service. In 2004, he was given a one year suspended jail sentence, ordered to undergo counseling for "impulse control" and pay a $1000 fine or perform 100 hours of community service after being convicted of two counts of misdemeanor battery against two women. In 2005, Mayweather pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge after kicking a bouncer and received a 90 day suspended jail sentence.

On September 9, 2010, it was reported that Mayweather was being sought by police for questioning after his former girlfriend, Josie Harris, filed a domestic battery report against him. Harris has accused Mayweather of battery in the past, but those charges were later dropped in July 2005 after Harris testified that she had lied and that Mayweather had not, in fact, assaulted her. Mayweather was taken into custody on September 10, 2010, but was released after posting $3000 bail. Initially, Mayweather was charged with felony theft stemming from the disappearance of Harris's iPhone, but on September 16, 2010, two felony coercion charges and one felony robbery charge were added to the case, along with one misdemeanor domestic battery charge and three misdemeanor harassment charges.

On December 21, 2011, a judge sentenced Mayweather to serve 90 days in the county jail for battery upon his ex-girlfriend in September 2010. Mayweather reached a deal with prosecutors in which he pled guilty to misdemeanor battery in exchange for prosecutors dropping the felony battery charge. Mayweather also pled no contest to two counts of misdemeanor harrasment which stemmed from Mayweather threatening to beat his kids. In addition to the sentence of 90 days in the county jail, Mayweather was ordered to complete 100 hours community service, a 12-month domestic violence program, and pay a fine of $2,500.

Honours, awards and recognitions

1993 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 106 Lbs 1993 National Golden Gloves Champion, 106 Lbs 1994 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 112 Lbs 1994 National Golden Gloves Champion, 112 Lbs; Outstanding Boxer Award 1995 National PAL Champion, 125 Lbs; Outstanding Boxer Award

1995 U.S. National Amateur Featherweight Champion, 125 Lbs

1995 Competed at Featherweight at the World Amateur Boxing Championships 1996 Michigan State Golden Gloves Champion, 125 Lbs 1996 National Golden Gloves Champion, 125 Lbs

1996 Qualified as a Featherweight for the United States Olympic Team

1996 Atlanta Olympics Featherweight Bronze medalist

1998 and 2007 International Boxing Award Fighter of the Year

1998 and 2007 ''The Ring'' Magazine Fighter of the Year

2000–09 Yahoo! Sports, Best of the Decade 2002 World Boxing Hall of Fame Fighter of the Year 2005 and 2007 World Boxing Council Boxer of the Year

2005-08 ''The Ring'' 'number one' pound for pound

2007 Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year

2007 ESPN Fighter of the Year 2007 Forbes Magazine, Ranked "Number 14" Richest Celebrity Paydays 2007 New York Daily News Fighter of the Year 2007 World Boxing Council Event of the Year (The World Awaits) 2007 World Boxing Council Knockout of the Year (against Ricky Hatton)

2007, 2008 and 2010 Best Fighter ESPY Award

2007, 2008 and 2010 ''The Ring'' Magazine Event of the Year 2008 Sports Illustrated, The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes (ranked 4th) 2008 Yahoo Sports, Ranked "Number 6" Most Powerful People in Boxing

2009 ''The Ring'' Magazine Comeback of the Year

2009-10 BoxRec, BBC Sport and Yahoo! Sports 'number one' pound for pound 2010 Yahoo! Sports Boxing's Most Influential (ranked 70th) 2010 Forbes Magazine Celebrity 100 (ranked 31st) 2010 Forbes Magazine, The World's 50 Top-Earning Athletes (ranked 2nd) 2010 Sports Illustrated, The 50 Highest-Earning American Athletes (ranked 3rd)

See also

List of Current World Boxing Champions

List of ''The Ring'' World Champions

List of WBC World Champions

List of IBF World Champions

List of Super Featherweight Boxing Champions

List of Lightweight Boxing Champions

List of Light Welterweight Boxing Champions

List of Welterweight Boxing Champions

List of Super Welterweight Boxing Champions

List of Boxing Triple Champions

List of Boxing Quadruple Champions

List of Boxing Quintuple Champions

Notes

External links

Official website

Estrangement of Mayweather, Jr. and Sr. by Jon Saraceno, June 26, 2005, ''USA Today''.

Olympic article on Mayweather, Jr. by Andy Johnston, July 6, 1996, ''Augusta Chronicle''.

A new chapter begins for Floyd Mayweather by Jeff Mayweather, November 1, 2005, ''BraggingRightsCorner.com''.

Can Mayweather become the new De La Hoya? by Brent Matteo Alderson, May 1, 2006, ''BoxingScene.com''.

|- |- |- |- |- |- |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC World Lightweight Champion| years=April 20, 2002 – May 22, 2004Vacated}} |- {{s-ttl | title=''The Ring'' World Lightweight Champion | years=April 20, 2002 – May 22, 2004Vacated}} |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC World Super Lightweight Champion | years=June 25, 2005 – March 23, 2006Vacated}} |- {{s-ttl | title=IBF World Welterweight Champion | years=April 8, 2006 – June 20, 2006Vacated}} |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC World Welterweight Champion | years=November 4, 2006 – June 7, 2008Retired}} |- {{s-ttl | title=''The Ring'' World Welterweight Champion | years=November 4, 2006 – June 7, 2008Retired}} |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC World Super Welterweight Champion| years=May 6, 2007 – July 4, 2007Status Changed: ''Emeritus champion''}} |- {{s-ttl | title=WBC World Welterweight Champion| years=September 17, 2011 – ''present''}} -

Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:African American boxers Category:American people convicted of assault Category:Boxers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Boxers from Michigan Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:Light-welterweight boxers Category:Lightweight boxers Category:Olympic boxers of the United States Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic medalists in boxing Category:Participants in American reality television series Category:People from Grand Rapids, Michigan Category:Super-featherweight boxers Category:Welterweight boxers Category:World Boxing Council Champions

ar:فلويد مايويذر جونيور da:Floyd Mayweather Jr. de:Floyd Mayweather junior es:Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fr:Floyd Mayweather Jr. it:Floyd Mayweather Jr. lv:Floids Meivezers ja:フロイド・メイウェザー・ジュニア pl:Floyd Mayweather Jr. pt:Floyd Mayweather, Jr. ru:Мэйуэзер, Флойд fi:Floyd Mayweather Jr. sv:Floyd Mayweather Jr. th:ฟลอยด์ เมย์เวทเธอร์ จูเนียร์ zh-yue:Floyd Mayweather, Jr zh:弗洛伊德·梅威瑟

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
name	Victor Ortiz
nickname	Vicious
weight	WelterweightLight Welterweight
height
reach
Nationality	American
birth date	January 31, 1987
birth place	Garden City, Kansas, U.S.
home	Oxnard, California, U.S.
college	University of Kansas
style	Southpaw
total	34
wins	29
ko	22
losses	3
dq	0
draws	2
no contests	0 }}

Victor Ortiz (born January 31, 1987) is an American professional boxer of Mexican descent and the former WBC welterweight champion.

He was previously in the light welterweight division, where he held the USBA & NABO title. Ortiz, with a crowd-pleasing, aggressive style, two-fisted power and boyish charm, was made the 2008 ESPN Prospect of the Year.

He is currently rated as one of the "top three" Welterweight boxers in the world by most sporting news and boxing websites, including The Ring, BoxRec.com, and ESPN.

The first loss and the two draws on Ortiz's record, are not counted as significant due to the fact the loss came by way of disqualification in the first round for knocking Corey Alarcon cold with an uppercut off a clinch. The first of two draws was a first-round technical draw in January 2007, when Ortiz faced Marvin Cordova Jr., when an accidental head-butt opened a cut on Ortiz's forehead and rendered him unable to continue. The second draw was a controversial one against Lamont Peterson, as ESPN.com and HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman both had it 97-91 in favor for the 23-year-old Ortiz.

Early life

Ortiz was born and raised in Garden City, Kansas, the second of three children of Mexican immigrant parents. When he was seven years old, Ortiz's mother abandoned his family for a relationship with another man. Shortly thereafter, Ortiz began boxing at the insistence of his father, an alcoholic who often beat his children following his wife's departure. In an interview, Victor said, "I hated that lady. I drew her a card once with a little rose on it and I gave it to her. She just threw it down and said 'What do I want that shit for?' That's when I picked up boxing. Then my Dad started screwing up, drinking."

Ortiz' father also abandoned the family five years after their mother left, which forced Ortiz and his five siblings into the Kansas foster care system. Ortiz was twelve years old at the time. When he won the Kansas Golden Gloves championship, he was dealing drugs (ecstasy and marijuana). Then Ortiz saw his image in the newspaper after winning the Golden Gloves and it moved him. Ortiz said, "The photo came out all over Kansas and that's when it hit me... I realized that I didn't need to be involved with selling drugs in order to make something of myself. I said screw this. I don't need all this crap or this guilt." His older sister would become a legal adult in 2002 and moved to Denver, Colorado. Ortiz and his younger brother left Kansas and moved in with her.

Amateur career

While training at a Salvation Army Red Shield Community Center, he was noticed by former heavyweight boxing contender Ron Lyle, who had become a supervisor at the center. In 2003, Lyle guided Ortiz to a Junior Olympics tournament, where, at the age of sixteen, he won the 132-pound weight division with a perfect 5-0 record. This time, he was noticed by another former boxer, Roberto Garcia, who had held the IBF Super Featherweight Championship during the 1990s and whose father was the trainer of Fernando Vargas.

Move to California

Though Garcia was based in Oxnard, California, he offered to train Ortiz, who accepted and moved from Colorado to California, where he began training at Oxnard's famous La Colonia Youth Boxing Club. Garcia later became Ortiz's legal guardian, and Ortiz graduated from Pacifica High School. At age seventeen, Ortiz reached the United States Olympic boxing trials in the 132-pound weight class, where he was eliminated in the final stages. (The weight class was instead won by Vicente Escobedo.)

Ortiz turned professional later in 2004 while still only seventeen years of age. When he reached the age of eighteen in 2005 and became a legal adult, he gained custody of his younger brother, who is now a college student. Ortiz continues to reside in Ventura, California.

Victor Ortiz boxed at The Garden City Boxing club where he was trained by five trainers who all worked together to get him ahead in his boxing career. His original trainers included Ignacio "Buck" Avilia, Manuel Rios, Antonio Orozco Sr., Juan M. Aldana Jr., and Alfred Ritz. He won the Ringside National Title in 2001 and 2002 and the National Jr. Olympics in 2002.

Professional career

Junior Welterweight

After turning professional, Ortiz easily won his first seven fights against weak opposition. However, on June 3, 2005, Ortiz was controversially disqualified in the first round of a bout against unknown Corey Alarcon in Oxnard. After having already knocked Alarcon down once in the round, Ortiz knocked him down again shortly after referee David Denkin ordered the fighters to separate from a clinch. Alarcon stayed down for the count, and was awarded the fight based on Denkin's judgment that Ortiz's knockout punch had been an illegal punch during a break.

Following the fight with Alarcon, Ortiz continued to win and had built a record of 18-1-1 as of August 30, 2007, when he fought his first well-known opponent, Emmanuel Clottey of Ghana, in only his second bout scheduled for ten rounds. Ortiz defeated Clottey by technical knockout in the tenth and final round. Three months later, Ortiz followed up on his victory with another knockout win, this time in the first round of a ten-round bout against former junior welterweight titlist Carlos Maussa of Colombia.

On September 13, 2008, Ortiz fought his first bout scheduled for twelve rounds, against Roberto David Arrieta of Argentina. Ortiz knocked Arrieta down in the second, fourth, and fifth rounds, and won by technical knockout in the fifth round. At the end of 2008, ESPN named Ortiz the boxing prospect of the year.

On March 7, 2009, Ortiz fought his first bout televised on ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' against Mike Arnaoutis of Greece, who had fought top-ten junior welterweight contenders such as Juan Urango, Ricardo Torres, and Kendall Holt without ever having been knocked out. However, Ortiz scored a technical knockout of Arnaoutis in the second round.

On June 27, 2009, Ortiz faced Marcos Rene Maidana (25-1-0) of Argentina in Los Angeles for the interim WBA light welterweight title. Ortiz entered the fight with an eight-fight knockout streak. Maidana, a dangerous puncher, had won 25 of his 26 previous bouts by knockout. The only previous blemish on his record at that point was a close split decision loss to WBA champion Andriy Kotelnik. Both Ortiz and Maidana were knocked down in the first round. Ortiz knocked Maidana to the canvas twice in the second round. Ortiz suffered a cut in the 5th round and was knocked down in the 6th round. The fight was stopped when the ringside physician would not let Ortiz continue to fight.

Comeback

Before the Maidana fight Ortiz fired Roberto Garcia and Garcia's father. Ortiz expressed how the Garcias constantly humiliated him through derogatory speech but would then hire Garcia's brother Danny. After recovering from a broken wrist and switching trainers, Ortiz announced his return fight would be on HBO Boxing After Dark. On December 12, 2009, Ortiz bounced back from the defeat he suffered vs Maidana to stop Antonio Díaz, who failed to answer the bell for seventh round. Ortiz then fought Hector Alatorre on February 25, 2010 winning by TKO in the tenth and final round.

Ortiz vs. Campbell

Ortiz was victorious in a unanimous decision victory over Nate Campbell on May 15 at Madison Square Garden on the Undercard of Khan vs Malignaggi bout. Ortiz, 23, was quicker, more active and landed heavier shots throughout the fight. Campbell, 38, did not seem to have much steam on his punches on the few occasions that he landed anything solid. He also appeared troubled all fight by Ortiz's southpaw style and straight left hand as he followed Ortiz around. Ortiz scored a knockdown on a short right hand, although it also looked like he shoved Campbell.

Ortiz vs. Harris

On September 18, 2010 Victor faced former WBA light welterweight champion Vivian Harris on the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard at Staples Center. He was on ESPN's SportsNation to promote the fight with Harris. Victor landed 25-of-54 power punches. He dropped Harris with both hands and landed some nasty power punches. That short right really showed off the unique power possessed by Ortiz. Ortiz knocked Harris down three times in the second round en route to a knock out win with :45 seconds left in the third round.

Ortiz vs. Peterson

On the undercard of Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana, Ortiz faced former title challenger Lamont Peterson on December 11 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Peterson went down for the first time from a right hand that finished a four-punch combination. Peterson got up quickly and did not appear hurt. But he was moments later from another punch and he grabbed on to Ortiz as they tumbled to the mat. But when the fight resumed, Ortiz was on Peterson again and knocked him hard into the ropes, which held him up and caused referee Vic Drakulich to call the second knockdown of the round with about 30 seconds to go. One judge scored the bout a win for Peterson with the other two remaining judges scoring the bout a draw, the fight will go down on record as a draw. This was despite those who were in attendance saying that Ortiz clearly won the fight.

Welterweight

Ortiz vs. Berto I & II

Ortiz fought Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight title on April 16, 2011 at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket. Hailed as the early pick for the fight of the year Ortiz won the fight by unanimous decision over Berto. They both came out aggressively, then just over a minute into the round, Ortiz landed a shot behind Berto’s head and Berto went down. Berto and Ortiz exchanged knockdowns in their fights with both of them going down twice. Both fighters were hurt in that fight. However, Berto took a lot of punishment while against the ropes and looked to be exhausted after the 6th. Ortiz had his way from the 7th on and only had to worry about an occasional big punch from Berto. The judges scored the match 115-110, 114-112 and 114-111 all for the new WBC Welterweight Champion.

Ortiz will face Berto, whose first thrilling slugfest in April was one of the best fights of the year, will do it again. The fight, which has been in discussion for weeks, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on a TBD, 2012.

Star Power

On June 7, 2011, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. announced via twitter that he and Ortiz had an agreement to fight on September 17, 2011. The fight was for Ortiz's WBC Welterweight belt. Mayweather, ten years older than Ortiz, fought Ortiz after a 16-month hiatus from boxing.

The fight took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena. From round one, Mayweather used his speed, skills and accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in control through the first three rounds (judges scores: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Mayweather), but in the fourth round, Ortiz found some success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional headbutt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee, Joe Cortez, immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Ortiz -- seemingly acknowledging his wrongdoing -- hugged Mayweather in the corner and even appeared to kiss him. Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. But with Cortez looking away from the fighters, Mayweather unloaded a left hook and a flush right hand to Ortiz's face. Ortiz dropped and was unable to beat Cortez's count as the crowd of 14,687 were furious at the ruined fight.

"In the ring, you have to protect yourself at all times," Mayweather said. "After it happened, we touched gloves and we were back to fighting and then I threw the left hook and right hand after the break. You just gotta protect yourself at all times."

Joe Cortez commented post-fight, saying, "Time was in. The fighter needed to keep his guard up. Mayweather did nothing illegal."

Professional record

|- style="margin:0.5em-size:95%;" |align="center" colspan=8|29 Wins (22 knockouts), 3 Losses, 2 Draws |- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:95%;" |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res. |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Round |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location |align=center style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes |-align=center |||||align=left| Andre Berto |||||||align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |-align=center |Loss ||29-3-2 ||align=left| Floyd Mayweather Jr. ||| || ||align=left| MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada}} | |- align=center |Win || 29-2-2 ||align=left| Andre Berto ||| || ||align=left| Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut}} | |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 28-2-2 ||align=left| Lamont Peterson | || || ||align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 28-2-1 ||align=left| Vivian Harris | || || ||align=left| Staples Center, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 27-2-1 ||align=left| Nate Campbell ||| || ||align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 26-2-1 ||align=left| Hector Alatorre | || || ||align=left| Club Nokia, Los Angeles, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 25-2-1 ||align=left| Antonio Díaz ||| || ||align=left| UIC Pavilion, Chicago, Illinois}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss || 24-2-1 ||align=left| Marcos Maidana | || || ||align=left| Staples Center, Los Angeles, California}} | |- align=center |Win || 24-1-1 ||align=left| Mike Arnaoutis ||| || ||align=left| HP Pavilion, San Jose, California}} | |- align=center |Win || 23-1-1 ||align=left| Jeffrey Resto ||| || ||align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} | |- align=center |Win || 22-1-1 || align=left| Roberto Arrieta | || || ||align=left| MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada}} | |- align=center |Win || 21-1-1 ||align=left| Dario Esalas ||| || ||align=left| Home Depot Center, Carson, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 20-1-1 ||align=left| Carlos Maussa ||| || ||align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 19-1-1 ||align=left| Emmanuel Clottey ||| || ||align=left| Grand Plaza Hotel, Houston, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 18-1-1 ||align=left| Maximino Cuevas ||| || ||align=left| Cliff Castle Casino, Camp Verde, Arizona}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 17-1-1 ||align=left| Tomas Barrientes ||| || ||align=left| Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw || 16-1-1 || align=left| Marvin Cordova Jr. ||| || ||align=left| Dodge Arena, Phoenix, Arizona}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 16–1 ||align=left| Yahir Aguiar ||| || ||align=left| Palo Duro Golf Club, Nogales, Arizona}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 15–1 ||align=left| Alfred Kotey ||| || ||align=left| Gilley's, Dallas, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 14–1 ||align=left| Orlando Cantera ||| || ||align=left| Palo Duro Golf Club, Nogales, Arizona}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 13–1 ||align=left| Freddie Barrera ||| || ||align=left| Activities Center, Maywood, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 12–1 ||align=left| Nestor Rosas ||| || ||align=left| Roseland Ballroom, San Antonio, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 11–1 ||align=left| Leroy Fountain ||| || ||align=left| Santa Ana Star Casino, Bernalillo, New Mexico}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 10–1 ||align=left| Donnell Logan ||| || ||align=left| Ventura Theatre, Ventura, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 9–1 ||align=left| Kevin Carmody ||| || ||align=left| Edgewater Hotel, Laughlin, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 8–1 ||align=left| Oliver Bolanos ||| || ||align=left| Colonial Ballroom, Houston, Texas}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss || 7–1 || align=left| Corey Alarcon ||| || ||align=left| Performing Arts Center, Oxnard, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 7–0 ||align=left| Rodney Jones ||| || ||align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 6–0 ||align=left| Joel Ortega ||| || ||align=left| Convention Center, San Diego, California}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 5–0 ||align=left| Juan Patino ||| || ||align=left| Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 4–0 ||align=left| Charles Hawkins ||| || ||align=left| Edgewater Hotel & Casino, Laughlin, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 3–0 ||align=left| Lee De Leon ||| || ||align=left| Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 2–0 ||align=left| Alejandro Nungaray ||| || ||align=left| Flamingo Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win || 1–0 ||align=left| Raul Montes ||| || ||align=left| Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} | |-align=center

Boxing Style

Ortiz is a right-hander who nevertheless chooses to fight from a southpaw stance. Ortiz has stated, "I’m naturally right-handed. Everything I do is right-handed. My power is just built on my left hand, somehow. Fighting left-handed was just more comfortable for me. I was just a better boxer that way. My defense was better, I didn’t get hit as much. I just developed myself into a left-hander. I don’t even like to switch to right-handed."

References

See Also

List of left-handed boxers

External links

Victor Ortiz Fight-by-Fight Career Record

Victory: A Boxer's Story (Short Documentary Film about Victor Ortiz - 2005)

Promoter page

BoxingInsider.com interview with Vicious Victor Ortiz

Victor Ortiz Audio Interview With Fans

{{s-ttl | title=WBC Welterweight Champion| years= April 16, 2011 – September 17, 2011 }}

Category:American boxers of Mexican descent Category:People from Oxnard, California Category:Boxers from California Category:People from Finney County, Kansas Category:Light-welterweight boxers Category:1987 births Category:Living people

de:Victor Ortíz fr:Victor Ortiz ja:ビクター・オルティス pl:Victor Ortiz ru:Ортис, Виктор

Coordinates	34°03′″N118°15′″N
Name	Wladimir Klitschko
Realname	Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko
Nickname	Dr. Steelhammer
Height
Reach
Weight	Heavyweight
Nationality	Ukrainian
Birth date	March 25, 1976
Birth place	Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Style	Orthodox
Total	59
Wins	56
Ko	49
Losses	3
Losses by ko	3
Draws	0
No contests	0 }}

}}

Wladimir Klitschko (born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. Klitschko is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO & ''Ring Magazine'' Heavyweight Champion. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC Heavyweight Champion. Klitschko is the longest reigning Heavyweight Champion in history for the IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight titles, both in measurements of defenses and time & the 7th longest reigning heavyweight champion of all time. As of 2011, ''Boxrec'' rates Klitschko as the number 2 pound-for-pound in the world. ''Ring Magazine'' currently rates Klitschko as the number six pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Since 2005, Klitschko has been the dominant force in the heavyweight division, defeating a majority of the top heavyweights in the rankings. When Klitschko won the IBF title against Chris Byrd there were four separate heavyweight champions. Since then he has unified the IBF, IBO, WBO & WBA belts and defeated the WBA champion in recess. Following his win over Ruslan Chagaev, Klitschko was awarded the vacant Ring Magazine Heavyweight Title. He works behind a strong left jab and possesses one of the strongest right crosses in boxing. Klitschko is a safety first fighter; however, he tends to methodically break down his opponents over a series of rounds. Emanuel Steward, Klitschko's trainer, has also pointed out that Klitschko's ability to hurt opponents late on in fights (Tony Thompson, Samuel Peter, etc.) is a sign of his power. He has gone on to say that he feels Klitschko is one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history.

Early life

Klitschko was born in Semipalatinsk (now Semey, Kazakhstan). Though a celebrity in his former adopted home of Germany, he moved with his older brother Vitali to Beverly Hills, California, USA, in 2004. Their father, Vladimir Rodionovich Klitschko (1947–2011), was a Soviet Air Force major general and a military attaché of Ukraine in Germany. He was also one of the commanders in charge of cleaning up the effects of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and was afterward diagnosed with cancer. Their mother is Nadezhda Ulyanovna.

In the summer of 1996, Klitschko finished Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky Pedagogical Institute (Ukraine) and was accepted in the postgraduate study program of Kiev University. On 18 January 2001 in a conference hall of Kiev University of physical science and sports, Klitschko presented his doctoral dissertation and was awarded a PhD in Sports Science. Klitschko speaks five languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, German and English. At the beginning of his professional career, he began using the German transliteration of his name, ''Wladimir''.

Amateur career

In 1993, Klitschko won the Junior European Championships as a heavyweight. In 1994, he received 2nd place at the Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1995, he won the gold medal at the Military Championships in Ariccia, Italy, defeating Luan Krasniqi, who he had lost to in the third round of the World Championships in Berlin, Germany earlier that year. In 1996, he captured 2nd place as a Super Heavyweight at the European Championships in Vejle, Denmark. He had an amateur record of 134–6.

Known as "The Steel Hammer," Klitschko first achieved world attention at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He defeated Paea Wolfgramm to win the Super-Heavyweight gold medal. He is now announced as "Dr. Steel Hammer," a name more in the vein of his brother, Vitali, who goes by "Dr. Ironfist."

Professional career

Klitschko turned professional with Universum Box-Promotion in Hamburg under the tutelage of Fritz Sdunek.

He suffered his first setback after 24 bouts without a loss to journeyman Ross Puritty, who entered the bout with a record of 24–13–1. Wladimir Klitschko's coach, Fritz Sdunek, jumped into the ring and stopped the fight.

First world title

On 14 October 2000, in Cologne's Kölnarena (Germany), Klitschko won the WBO Heavyweight Championship from American Chris Byrd. Byrd had previously upset his elder brother Vitali (who pulled out injured during their bout). After five successful defenses of the WBO belt, Klitschko suffered an upset loss to Corrie Sanders. Sanders battered Klitschko for two rounds knocking him out on 8 March 2003, in Hannover, Germany.

Third loss

After winning two minor bouts in Germany and enlisting the services of legendary boxing trainer Emmanuel Steward, Klitschko again fought for the vacated WBO title on 10 April 2004, in Las Vegas, against Lamon Brewster. Klitschko sent Brewster to the canvas in the fourth round; however, things turned around in the fifth when Brewster's punches began backing him up. Not defending himself and leaning into ropes for support, Klitschko took a standing eight count. On unsteady legs, Klitschko went to his knees after the bell and the referee stopped the fight for his safety.

Return to form

Following his loss to Brewster, Klitschko began his journey back towards the top of the heavyweight division. First, he defeated DaVarryl Williamson by technical decision. The fight was stopped due to a Klitschko cut caused by an accidental headbutt. He then knocked out undefeated Eliseo Castillo. Klitschko then signed to fight undefeated power puncher Samuel Peter in an IBF eliminator. The much anticipated bout proved to be hugely entertaining. It went some way towards redeeming Klitschko in the heavyweight division. Though Peter scored three knockdowns (two in round 5, one in round 10) Klitschko withstood the Nigerian's power and went on to dominate for long periods. He even rocked Peter in the final round. The win against Peter showed that Klitschko was capable of defeating power punchers.

IBF Champion

On 22 April 2006, in Mannheim, Germany, Klitschko again defeated Chris Byrd, this time by technical knockout, in a contest for the IBF & IBO Heavyweight Championship. Referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight in the seventh round after a knockdown—Byrd beat the count, but his face was battered and bloody, and the fight was waved off. Klitschko then defeated mandatory challenger Ray Austin on 10 March 2007, at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany by a second-round knockout with four consecutive left hooks to Austin's head. Klitschko did not use his right hand once during the fight, doing all his work with his left jab and left hook. Klitschko then avenged one of his previous losses as he defeated Lamon Brewster on 7 July 2007, in Cologne, Germany. Brewster's corner asked the referee to stop the fight at the end of the sixth round. It was later revealed that Klitschko fought most of the fight with a broken middle finger on his left hand.

Klitschko vs Ibragimov Unification

Klitschko defeated WBO Heavyweight Champion Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden in New York City on 23 February 2008 to unify the IBF, IBO & WBO heavyweight titles. The Klitschko-Ibragimov fight was the first heavyweight unification since Holyfield-Lewis in 1999. The unification clash with Ibragimov proved to be a huge disappointment for fans. Klitschko was very dominant from the first bell. He backed Ibragimov into a corner and proceeded to push down Ibragimov's glove with his left hand so he could not throw a punch. Though Klitschko won every single round the crowd in New York began booing after the second round. The boos and jeers increased as the fight progressed in the same fashion. Ibragimov's corner was almost silent from the sixth round onwards unable to give their man any meaningful advice.

On 12 July 2008, at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Klitschko defeated Tony Thompson by eleventh round knockout.

Klitschko was scheduled to defend his titles against Alexander Povetkin later in 2008, but on 25 October, Povetkin withdrew from the fight due to an ankle injury. Instead, Klitschko faced Hasim Rahman on 13 December 2008 and won by TKO. This was the third time Klitschko fought at the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany. He dominated the fight, winning every round while making good use of his left jab. From the first bell the difference in physical strength was profound. Rahman seemed unable to withstand Klitschko's punch power. The referee finally called a stop to the one-sided contest in the 7th round after Rahman failed to respond to a series of good shots.

Klitschko vs. Chagaev

Klitschko was scheduled to face David Haye who pulled out within weeks of the fight complaining of a back injury. Salvaging the 20 June 2009 date and venue, Klitschko instead retained the IBF, WBO, IBO heavyweight titles and also won the vacant Ring Magazine heavyweight title by defeating replacement opponent and Ring #3 ranked Ruslan Chagaev when Chagaev retired after an onslaught of punches towards the end of the ninth round. As Chagaev was WBA champion in recess, the title was not on the line. Klitschko's win over Chagaev was seen as one of his most impressive performances in the ring. He controlled the tempo of the fight from the very beginning and hit Chagaev at will with the jab. He hit Chagaev with several hard right crosses and never allowed him to build momentum. Towards the end of the second round Klitschko caught Chagaev off balance and sent him to the canvas. Chagaev recovered but was dominated thereafter. This win had added significance because even though the WBA title was not on the line, many saw Klitschko as the rightful champion.

Klitschko vs. Chambers

On 9 December 2009, Klitschko's management group, K2 Promotions confirmed that a bout with Eddie Chambers has been agreed to take place in Germany on 20 March 2010. This mandatory title defense, originally scheduled for December 2009 had to be delayed due to a hand injury that Klitschko sustained in training that required surgery.

Klitschko defeated Chambers by knockout five seconds before the end of the final round. He was criticized between rounds by his trainer Emanuel Steward for not fighting aggressively enough despite having won all prior rounds and Chambers only fighting back weakly. Klitschko began punching more often during the final round than he had done before which eventually led to his left hook hitting Chambers to the forehead. The punch made Chambers fall forwards and lost consciousness for an extended period of time. The referee stepped in and called an end to the contest instantly.

Klitschko vs. Peter II

Following the match with Chambers, a unification fight between Klitschko and David Haye, who as of May 2009 held the WBA title, appeared to be in the offing. Klitschko called out the Briton on YouTube in April 2010, stating, "I want to send this message to boxing fans and directly to David Haye. David, you've bitched out on fighting both Klitschko brothers twice already and now's the time to make it happen. On behalf of the boxing fans around the world, I am officially calling you out to fight me. You can't run away from me forever and you need to follow through with this fight if you want to be respected. I'm ready. What're you waiting for?". Haye's trainer Adam Booth has indicated that Haye would be willing to accept the challenge. Both sides began negotiations for a potential fight and the bout was targeted for September. As the negotiations continued to move forward, the unification fight between Klitschko and Haye was expected to take place in Germany rather than England. The IBF set a deadline to end negotiations on 17 May. A few days before the 17 May deadline to make the unification bout, Haye said he was interested in fighting the older Klitschko, Vitali, rather than Vladimir.

The fight did not materialise and Klitschko took on mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin. On 17 May 2010, the 30-day period of negotiation began for Klitschko to defend his championship against Povetkin. Within this period, discussions to make a fight with Haye were still ongoing. At first, the bout between Klitschko and Povetkin was tentatively scheduled to take place in Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany, on 11 September 2010. In July 2010, it was confirmed that the bout would be taking place in Frankfurt. However, Povetkin, under trainer Teddy Atlas, backed out of the $2 million purse fight. Samuel Peter replaced Povetkin for the scheduled fight. Peter fought Klitschko on 11 September 2010, for the Ukrainian's IBF, WBO & IBO heavyweight titles. Klitschko won again, by knocking out Peter in the 10th round. Peter weighed in at 241 pounds, two pounds lighter than their first fight. Klitschko came in at a career heavy of 247 pounds. Both fighters had promised knockouts in the pre-fight build up. Peter started the fight very aggressively and caught Klitschko with a good left hook in the opening minute although Klitschko ended the round well. Peter was caught with three hard right-hands in the second round, one of which seemed to stun him. Peter tried to duck under the Klitschko jab, but was being tied up on the inside. After four rounds the fight became one-sided in Klitschko's favour. Peter's right eye was closing and he was taking heavy punishment. After the ninth round, Peter's trainer Abel Sanchez said he would give him one more round. Emmanuel Steward also implored Klitschko to be more aggressive. Peter swung wildly in the tenth and Klitschko put him down with a concussive combination. Referee Robert Byrd did not start a count and waved the fight off, awarding Klitschko the win by knockout.

Klitschko was set to fight Dereck Chisora on 11 December, but the fight was later called off on 8 December due to Klitschko tearing a muscle in his abdomen.

On 5 January 2011, it was announced that Dereck Chisora would get his fight with Klitschko. This enraged David Haye's trainer Adam Booth who described the move as a "disgrace" on a heated live phone-in with Sky Sports News. Booth alleged Haye had met every single one of Klitschko's demands The fight against Dereck Chisora was rescheduled for 30 April 2011, and was going to take place in SAP Arena, Mannheim. However, on 4 March, it was announced Klitschko pulled out of the fight due to not being fully recovered from a torn abdominal muscle. On 5 March, it was instead announced that the highly anticipated fight against David Haye will take place on 2 July 2011. The fight was contingent on Klitschko's recovery from a torn abdominal muscle injury. The contract was written so that if Klitschko is not fully healed, then Haye would fight his brother, Vitali.

Wladimir Klitschko vs. David Haye

Klitschko fought David Haye in a heavyweight unification fight for the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, IBO & ''The Ring'' heavyweight titles. The fight took place at the Imtech Arena, Hamburg, Germany on 2 July 2011. Klitschko dominated the fight, statistically outlanding Haye nearly 2 to 1. Klitschko won by unanimous decision.

After Haye

On 6 October 2011 Wladimir Klitschko announced his next fight. It was originally to be on 10 December 2011 against the former cruiserweight champion, French Jean-Marc Mormeck. The fight would have taken place at Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf. It was to be Wladimir's first title defense of the WBA (Super) belt, he won against David Haye. The fight was billed ''Alle Gürtel. Ein Champion.'' (All belts. One Champion). However, on 5 December 2011, the fight was cancelled because Wladimir checked into a hospital to have a kidney stone removed. After the removal operation he suffered from fever and inflammation. Since then, the fight has been rescheduled for 3 March 2012.

Other interests

Klitschko appeared with Lennox Lewis in the motion picture ''Ocean's Eleven''. He is an avid chess player, kite-surfer, golfer, and humanitarian. Both Klitschko brothers have been involved in charitable activities dedicated to supporting the needs of children around the world. Both brothers have formed their own charities that contribute to children in need in Africa and South America. They won humanitarian awards for their "Fight For Peace" and "Sport for Good" projects in 2002 and 2007. In 2002, the Klitschko brothers announced that they had agreed to work specifically for UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), which supports more than 180 projects in 87 countries. Klitschko is also a passionate golfer and was seen playing in the Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. The tournament was played over three courses in 2008 including St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns in Fife and Angus. Klitschko was named curator of the Ukrainian pavilion at the 2009 Venice Biennale. Klitschko starred in the music video for Chris Cornell's song "Part of Me" in 2008, alongside rising dancer Carlos Kerr Jr. and Method Man.

Personal life

Some media reported that Klitschko had been previously dating Yvonne Catterfeld; the relationship was played up in German comedies ''Keinohrhasen'' and ''Zweiohrküken''. After Vladimir's photo session held for ''Vanity Fair'' magazine with Karolína Kurková she also claimed to have a romantic relationship with the boxer. Alena Gerber was once his girlfriend.

In 2009 Klitschko began dating American actress Hayden Panettiere. Panettiere appeared at ringside at some of Klitschko's fights, including at Klitschko's 10th round KO victory over Samuel Peter. The couple broke up in May 2011.

Professional boxing record

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|56 Wins (49 knockouts), 3 Losses, 0 Draws |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res. | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes |- align=center | | |align=left| Jean-Marc Mormeck | | | |align=left| Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |56–3 |align=left| David Haye | | | |align=left| Imtech Arena, Altona, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |55–3 |align=left| Samuel Peter | | | |align=left| Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Hessen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |54–3 |align=left| Eddie Chambers | | | |align=left| Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |53–3 |align=left| Ruslan Chagaev ||| | |align=left| Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |52–3 |align=left| Hasim Rahman ||| | |align=left| SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |51–3 |align=left| Tony Thompson ||| | |align=left| Color Line Arena, Altona, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |50–3 |align=left| Sultan Ibragimov ||| | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |49–3 |align=left| Lamon Brewster ||| | |align=left| Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |48–3 |align=left| Ray Austin ||| | |align=left| SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |47–3 |align=left| Calvin Brock ||| | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |46–3 |align=left| Chris Byrd ||| | |align=left| SAP Arena, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |45–3 |align=left| Samuel Peter ||| | |align=left| Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |44–3 |align=left| Eliseo Castillo ||| | |align=left| Westfalenhallen, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |43–3 |align=left| DaVarryl Williamson ||| | |align=left| Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |42–3 |align=left| Lamon Brewster ||| | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |42–2 |align=left| Danell Nicholson ||| | |align=left| Ostseehalle, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |41–2 |align=left| Fabio Eduardo Moli ||| | |align=left| Olympiahalle, Munich, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |40–2 |align=left| Corrie Sanders ||| | |align=left| Preussag Arena, Hannover, Niedersachsen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |40–1 |align=left| Jameel McCline ||| | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |39–1 |align=left| Ray Mercer ||| | |align=left| Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |38–1 |align=left| Francois Botha ||| | |align=left| Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |37–1 |align=left| Charles Shufford ||| | |align=left| Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |36–1 |align=left| Derrick Jefferson ||| | |align=left| Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |35–1 |align=left| Chris Byrd ||| | |align=left| Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |34–1 |align=left| Monte Barrett ||| | |align=left| New London Arena, Millwall, London}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |33–1 |align=left| David Bostice ||| | |align=left| Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |32–1 |align=left| Paea Wolfgramm ||| | |align=left| Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |31–1 |align=left| Lajos Eros ||| | |align=left| Stadionsporthalle, Hannover, Niedersachsen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |30–1 |align=left| Phil Jackson ||| | |align=left| The Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |29–1 |align=left| Axel Schulz ||| | |align=left| Kölnarena, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |28–1 |align=left| Joseph Chingangu ||| | |align=left| Philips Halle, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |27–1 |align=left| Tony LaRosa ||| | |align=left| Sport Palace, Budapest, Central Hungary}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |26–1 |align=left| Everett Martin ||| | |align=left| Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |25–1 |align=left| Zoran Vujecic ||| | |align=left| Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Loss |24–1 |align=left| Ross Puritty ||| | |align=left| Sports Palace, Kiev, Kiev Oblast}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |24–0 |align=left| Donnell Wingfield ||| | |align=left| Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |23–0 |align=left| Eli Dixon ||| | |align=left| Prinz-Garden Halle, Augsburg, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |22–0 |align=left| Steve Pannell ||| | |align=left| Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |21–0 |align=left| Carlos Monroe ||| | |align=left| Grand Casino Avoyelles, Marksville, Louisiana}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |20–0 |align=left| Najee Shaheed ||| | |align=left| Circus Krone, Munich, Bayern}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |19–0 |align=left| Cody Koch ||| | |align=left| Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |18–0 |align=left| Everett Martin ||| | |align=left| Sporthalle, Wandsbek, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |17–0 |align=left| Marcus McIntyre ||| | |align=left| Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |16–0 |align=left| Derrick Lampkins ||| | |align=left| Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |15–0 |align=left| Ladislav Husarik ||| | |align=left| Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Alsterdorf, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |14–0 |align=left| Jerry Halstead ||| | |align=left| Stadthalle, Offenbach, Hessen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |13–0 |align=left| Marcos Gonzalez ||| | |align=left| Stadthalle, Cottbus, Brandenburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |12–0 |align=left| James Pritchard ||| | |align=left| Tivoli Eissporthalle, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |11–0 |align=left| Biko Botowamungu ||| | |align=left| Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |10–0 |align=left| Gilberto Williamson ||| | |align=left| Berlethalle, Hagen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |9–0 |align=left| Salvador Maciel ||| | |align=left| Oberrheinhalle, Offenburg, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |8–0 |align=left| Paul Ashley ||| | |align=left| Arena Oberhausen, Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |7–0 |align=left| Mark Wills ||| | |align=left| Ballsporthalle, Frankfurt, Hessen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |6–0 |align=left| Mark Young ||| | |align=left| Eurogress, Aachen, Nordrhein-Westfalen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |5–0 |align=left| Carlos Monroe ||| | |align=left| Stadthalle, Cottbus, Brandenburg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |4–0 |align=left| Troy Weida ||| | |align=left| Maritim Hotel, Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |3–0 |align=left| Bill Corrigan ||| | |align=left| Zoo-Gesellschaftshaus, Frankfurt, Hessen}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |2–0 |align=left| Exum Speight ||| | |align=left| Nova Arena, Wiener Neustadt, Niederösterreich}} |align=left| |- align=center |Win |1–0 |align=left| Fabian Meza ||| | |align=left| Sporthalle, Wandsbek, Hamburg}} |align=left| |- align=center

References

External links

Vladimir Klitschko Fight-by-Fight Career Record

Klitschko movie 2011

|-

{{S-ttl| title = WBO Heavyweight Champion | years = October 14, 2000 – March 8, 2003}}

{{s-ttl | title=IBF Heavyweight Champion | years=April 22, 2006 – ''present''}}

{{s-ttl | title=IBO Heavyweight Champion | years = April 22, 2006 – ''present''}}

{{s-ttl| title=WBO Heavyweight Champion | years=February 23, 2008 – ''present''}} |- {{s-ttl|title=''The Ring'' Heavyweight Champion | years=June 20, 2009 – ''present''}}

{{s-ttl | title=WBA Heavyweight ChampionSuper Title | years=July 2, 2011 – ''present''}}

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Category:1976 births Category:Boxers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Heavyweight boxers Category:Super-heavyweight boxers Category:Living people Category:Olympic boxers of Ukraine Category:Olympic gold medalists for Ukraine Category:Ukrainian boxers Category:World Boxing Organization Champions Category:International Boxing Federation Champions Category:International Boxing Organization Champions Category:Olympic medalists in boxing Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from Ukraine

be:Уладзімір Уладзіміравіч Клічко be-x-old:Уладзімер Клічко bg:Владимир Кличко cs:Vladimir Kličko da:Vladimir Klitsjko de:Wladimir Klitschko et:Volodõmõr Klõtško el:Βλάντιμιρ Κλίτσκο es:Wladimir Klitschko fr:Wladimir Klitschko ga:Wladimir Klitschko hr:Vladimir Kličko it:Volodymyr Klyčko he:ולדימיר קליצ'קו lv:Vladimirs Kļičko hu:Volodimir Volodimirovics Klicsko nl:Wladimir Klitschko ja:ウラジミール・クリチコ no:Vladimir Klitsjko pl:Wołodymyr Kłyczko pt:Wladimir Klitschko ro:Vladimir Kliciko ru:Кличко, Владимир Владимирович fi:Volodymyr Klytško sv:Vladimir Klitsjko th:วลาดีมีร์ คลิทช์โก tg:Владимир Владимирович Кличко tr:Vladimir Kliçko uk:Кличко Володимир Володимирович