The Cult – Manny Pacquiao

If the world of boxing was an American high school, Manny Pacquiao would be the good-looking all-star jock who somehow still manages to be a nice guy and get good grades. "Hey Pac-Man!" bros would shout as he walked down the hallway, collecting various finger points, winks, fist bumps and high-fives as he went. Uh oh, here comes Ashley, the popular cheerleader and five time local beauty pageant winner. "Mannyyyyy, when are you gonna take me out for dinnerrrr?" she asks in an imploring whine, whilst twirling golden a lock in her finger. Not today, Ashley. The Filipino Slugger is just too damn focused on being the best gosh-darn boxer in the whole of Sweet Science High to give a hoot about you, and your shimmering hair, and All-American smile.

"Whaddup Manny Baybeeeh," says Manny's best friend and sidekick, Logan. "Fancy sinking a few brewskis with Chad and the boys before hitting up this totally sweet house party on Sunset Avenue tonight?" Sorry, not tonight Logan. There'll be no hijinks, japery or tomfoolery for The Mexicutioner tonight, because The Destroyer has to stay in and study on his midterms. That's because Emmanuel 'Manny' Dapidran Pacquiao, AKA 'Pac-Man', AKA 'The Filipino Slugger', AKA 'The Mexicutioner', AKA 'The Destroyer' has only has one thing on his mind, and that's getting the best grades possible so he can graduate to Pound for Pound University, and get his diploma with distinction in Hall Of Fame studies.

The scene cuts to Manny at home in his bedroom, surveying all the medals, trophies, plaques and rosettes he has won during his illustrious time at Sweet Science High. 'First And Only Eight Division World Champion'. '10 World Titles'. 'First Boxer To Be Lineal Champion In Five Different Weight Classes'. 2000's 'Fighter Of The Decade' as voted by the Boxing Writers Association Of America (BWAA), the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO). Three time The Ring and BWAA 'Fighter Of The Year'. 'Greatest Asian Fighter Of All Time' as voted by BoxRec. Long considered 'Best Pound For Pound Boxer In The World' by pretty much every boxing magazine, organisation and governing body from roughly 2007 to 2011.

But, like most people who seem oh so perfect on the outside, scratch at the surface and Pacquiao seems like a very different man.

In the Philippines, Pacquiao is known as 'Pambansang Kamao', which roughly translates as 'National Fist'. He has lived a true rags-to-riches story having been born, like over a quarter of the Philippines' population, into biting poverty. He was so poor that he dropped out of school and left his mother and six siblings at the age of only 14 due to their extreme destitution. As he himself has admitted, he grew up around drugs and violence, but cites his devotion to a Roman Catholic faith that is so widespread in his home nation for guidance during his darker times.

Yet, as stunning as his achievements were and are still are to this day, and as affable and amiable he seems as a personality, he holds personal opinions that are hard to match up with a worldwide sporting brand of his nature. He has stated on record that homosexuals are "worse than animals." Despite his public admission of prior drug use, he called for the death penalty to deter drug users in his first ever senate speech, going as far as to explicitly state that the method should be by hanging or firing squad. These views may seem appalling to a Western audience, but to the majority in his home country he is a standard demagogue. That doesn't necessarily make his views any better but, then again, they reflect the life that Manny has known.

When purely talked about as a boxer, Pacquiao is near perfect. Although he had already won two world titles at two weights before he met his long-term and current trainer Freddie Roach, their attack-minded harmony led him to another six titles in different weights as his career blossomed into the pound for pound monopoly that it was during the 2000s. Roach's insistence on speed and movement combined with Pacquiao's relentless punch count, power and terrifying natural aggression was a match made in boxing heaven. Sure, it led to a few defeats, mostly due to the fact that Pacquiao and Roach wouldn't know what defensive boxing was if it came up to them and speedily evaded their crushing punch to its face. Think of it like Barcelona in their pomp. An extremely defensive tactician – like Juan Manuel Marquez or Floyd Mayweather – would perhaps be able to contain and nullify their free-flowing attack and spot holes in their semi-porous defence, but nine times out of ten Barca would end up trouncing teams seven or eight nil, match after match.

So it was with Manny. The explosive knockouts that he dealt out to pretty much anyone he faced in his golden era, combined with a ruthless southpaw that almost erratically jumped between body and head shots, incurred the boxing equivalent of seven-nil trouncings in almost every fight he had. His all-action approach was incredibly watchable in how sublimely single-minded it was. He and Roach had an attacking philosophy built on a foundation of vicious dexterity that made him a box-office sensation in the US because, more than anything, spectators knew that whatever happened some serious violence was on the cards.

Yet, all through Pacquiao's career he has been dogged by doping allegations. It is basically unheard of for someone to move up weights as quickly and easily as he has and not just compete against, but destroy, opponents at higher weights. You only need to look at the recent attempts by Amir Khan and Kell Brook to jump two divisions to see how ineffectual their punches were to a heavier opponent, and how quickly they crumbled under a much heavier punch power. Although Pacquiao is 10-0 in passing Nevada state drug tests for anything performance related, some still have their doubts about him. While he has always strenuously denied such allegations, it's another aspect of his career which – alongside his deeply unpalatable political views – seems to slightly tarnish that golden boy shine.

Look at the fucking state of this face. That's the Mexican Antonio Margarito after going 12 rounds with Pacquiao. If you can bear to watch the above Youtube clip – thankfully only the highlights, although the whole fight is out there if you want to see it too – then you will see one of the most sustained, savage beatdowns you are ever likely to witness in boxing. And this was from a boxer, in Pacquiao, who moved up from flyweight to meet Margarito, one of the heaviest welterweights in the business at the time. In his career Pacquiao has boxed better, won more important fights and had more dramatic victories with more on the line than this fight. But it's still a defining moment, because it summarises everything about Pacquiao's approach to boxing so brutally and succinctly.

Margarito had been beating people up in his division. He was bulky for a welterweight, and had just demolished one of the top contenders at the time in Miguel Cotto. Yet in steps Pac-Man to deliver what was essentially a systemic and prolonged hell for Margarito. Pacquiao had the speed, stamina and sheer violence to destroy his opponent bit by bit, round by round, damaging Margarito's eye so badly that he ended up having to retire shortly afterwards. Again, there has been no official reason to doubt that Pacquiao is anything other than a physical phenom, but it's probably the way in which he beat heavier opponents with such convincing power that led some people to have their doubts.

"I've always fought for my country, in my own way, showing that Filipinos are a strong people and can do anything that they put their minds to."

There are many things to disagree with Manny Pacquiao about, but it's hard to question his devotion to his home country. What he'd do as a politician, and a man, to protect his vision of that country, God only knows.