Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 12 | Page 29

June 16 - 30, 2018
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
29
The fight that started Pacquiao’s rise to fame   
Filipino future boxing Hall of
Famer Manny Pacquiao started taking
the entire boxing world by a storm
exactly 17 years ago  today when
he technically knocked out South
African Lehlohonolo Ledwaba to
crown himself the International Boxing
Federation super-bantamweight or
junior-featherweight titleholder.
It was on June 23, 2001 (June
24 in Manila) when the tiny, Kibawe,
Bukidnon-born
fighter
surprised
everybody, except himself and trainer
Freddie Roach, completely unknown
and fighting only as a substitute in two
weeks notice, mauled the defending
champion from the opening bell until
his overwhelmingly favoured opponent
from as soon as the first bell sounded
until the referee stopped the massacre
in the sixth round.
The Then only 23-yeaer-old
southpaw with a mean left hook
bloodied the African’s nose in the
opening canto, knocked him down
in the second and several times more
in the third and fourth as the crowd
inside the MGM Garden Grand Arena
cheered watching a new hero in he
making.
Manny sent Ledwaba twice  more
in the sixth prompting the third man
in the ring to intervene by mercifully
waving his two hands signalling an end
to what was billed as a 12-round bout
0.59 seconds left without counting out
the deposed belt-owner.
“This is a dream come true.
My  dream  was to be champion again.
He did not hurt me at all. He did not
even hit me hard. I was in control (of)
the entire fight,” the new champion
declared as beamed in the country
through television.
It was Pacquiao’s second major
world title following similarly easy eighth
round stoppage, of Thai  Chatchai
Sasakul for the flyweight crown three
years prior.                 
Pacquiao successfully defended
his 122-pound diadem four time,
but more than this, it was his next
sterling performances at top of the
four-squared jungle called ring that
made him  a hero in the eyes of his
countrymen and icon to sports world.
Following his title victory over
Ledwaba, the now senator and
former
two-time
congressman
targeted and succeeded in claiming,
too, the RING featherweight, World
Boxing Council super-featherweight,
IBO/RING
WBC  lightweight,
junior-welterweight, Wold Boxing
Organization welterweight and WBC
super-welterweight plums one after
another, all in a span of nine years.
He took the crown the 126-
pound gonfalon off Marco Antonio
Barrera in 2003, the 130-pound over
Juan Manuel Marquez in 2008, the
135-pound the expense of David Diaz,
also in 2008, the 140-poundmfrom
Ricky Hatton in 2009, the 147-pound
off Migue