Many may question Manny Pacquiao’s decision to return to boxing after a four-year hiatus. But there’s no denying the legendary status he’s earned through his remarkable achievements in the sport. From world titles in eight different weight classes to unforgettable wars in the ring, Pacquiao’s legacy is etched in boxing history. Still, the beginning of his life was far from the spotlight and glory he enjoys today.

Manny Pacquiao’s childhood was shaped by poverty and hardship in General Santos, a province in the southern Philippines. He lived with his parents, older sister, and two younger brothers in a small one-room shack near a local mall. Far from the fame and fortune he would later achieve, the young Manny Pacquiao grew up in an environment where scarcity was the norm. The harsh conditions not only tested his resilience but also made him and his younger brothers frequent targets of bullying. Ahead of his comeback fight against WBC welterweight champion Mario Barios, the 46-year-old recollected one of those dark days when he had to face bullies to defend one of his brothers.

While appearing in an interview with Fight Hype recently during an outdoor training session in a baseball court, the Filipino legend was reminded of carrying a wooden baseball bat when he was merely 12 years old. “When I was young, I used to carry the baseball bat,” Pacquiao told reporters, surrounded by his entourage, all eager to hear more about his early life. When asked what led him to do that, he recalled an incident from school, “We were in school and then my brother [Boby came to me] crying, [and he said] ‘somebody hit me.’” Hearing this, his instinct to protect kicked in immediately.

“[So, I asked brother] ‘which one’” he said, referring to the bullies. “It was me against two,” he added, suggesting he stood up to more than one aggressor that day. When asked how old he was during the confrontation, Pacquiao calmly replied, “I was 12,” noting that the bullies were older than him. Yet, this wasn’t the only incident where Pacquiao had to step in to be the final barrier between his brother Boby and bullies.

Manny Pacquiao revealed what led him to become a boxer

According to a report from The Ring, it wasn’t just his brothers who faced bullying—Manny Pacquiao was also a victim of such behavior. However, one particular day, his brother Bobby was being teased when a young Manny stepped in to defend his brother. Things apparently ended with the boxing legend landing a stiff left jab on one of the bullies. 

This was the moment that seems to have motivated Pacquiao to start boxing. He quickly realized that boxing could help him survive the streets and feed his family. However, Pacquiao didn’t completely devote himself to boxing until 1991. As mentioned in his autobiography, the Filipino boxing legend watched James Douglas defeat Mike Tyson, which “changed his life forever.”

It was then “I knew without a doubt I would become a fighter…I knew that the underdog can, and often does, win.” With time, he turned professional at age 16 in 1995, and 26 years later, he retired from the sport of boxing, capping a journey worth a million stories.

Now, Pacquiao has returned to the sport with the intention of capturing another title. Whether he succeeds remains to be seen, but his journey, marked by resilience and relentless determination, has already earned its place in the history books. What are your thoughts on Pacquiao’s early life, shaped by struggle and adversity?