Manny Pacquiao Boxing

Pacquiao is Yahoo Sports pound-for-pound king

2008-09-20T22:14:00.001-07:00

The Philippine's boxing hero Manny Pacquiao was voted the no. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world accoring to polls conducted by Yahoo Sports.

Pacquiao garnered 18 of 23 first-place votes from a panel of boxing writers and broadcasters around the world. He tallied a total of 217 points with interestingly, Jjuan Manuel Marquez taking the no. 2 spot with 187 points, crediting to his remarkable demolition demolition of Cuban legen Joel Casamayor recently.

Pacquiao and Marquez had two previous fights, the first one ended in a draw and the second fight concluded with Pacquiao stealing Marquez's superfeatherweight belt with a split decision.

Here's the complete list of Yahoo Sports top pound-for-pound boxers for this month.

1. Manny Pacquiao

Points: 217 1/2 (18 of 23 first-place votes)

Record: 47-3-2 (36 KOs)

Title: WBC lightweight champion

Last outing: TKO9 over David Diaz on June 28

Previous ranking:: 1

Up next: Dec. 6 vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Analysis: Should be unanimous No. 1 if he overcomes size disadvantage against De La Hoya

2. Juan Manuel Marquez

Points: 187 (1 of 23 first-place votes)

Record: 49-4-1 (35 KOs)

Title: The Ring lightweight champion

Last outing: TKO11 over Joel Casamayor on Sept. 13

Previous ranking:: 3

Up next: Possibly Ricky Hatton or Juan Diaz

Analysis: Longs for third bout with Pacquiao

3. Joe Calzaghe

Points: 186 1/2 (4 of 23 first-place votes)

Record: 45-0 (32 KOs)

Title: WBA, WBO and The Ring super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion

Last outing: W12 over No. 9 Bernard Hopkins on April 19

Previous ranking:: 2

Up next: Nov. 8 in New York vs. Roy Jones Jr.

Analysis: Announced he’ll retire after Jones fight

4. Israel Vazquez

Points: 143

Record: 43-4 (31 KOs)

Title: WBC and The Ring super bantamweight champion

Last outing: W12 over No. 7 Rafael Marquez on March 1

Previous ranking:: 4

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Analysis: Likely done for the year

5. Kelly Pavlik

Points: 135

Record: 34-0 (30 KOs)

Title: WBC, WBO and The Ring middleweight champion

Last outing: TKO3 over Gary Lockett on June 7

Previous ranking:: 5

Up next: Oct. 18 vs. No. 10 Bernard Hopkins in Atlantic City, N.J.

Analysis: High-quality fighter in a low-quality division

6. Antonio Margarito

Points: 115

Record: 37-5 (27 KOs)

Title: WBA welterweight champion

Last outing: TKO11 over No. 8 Miguel Cotto on July 26

Previous ranking:: 6

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Analysis: Won’t fight again until early 2009

7. Rafael Marquez

Points: 80

Record: 37-5 (33 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: L12 to No. 4 Israel Vazquez on March 1

Previous ranking:: 7

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Analysis: Part of boxing’s finest brother tandem

8. Miguel Cotto

Points: 61

Record: 32-1 (26 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: TKO by 11 to Antonio Margarito on July 26

Previous ranking:: 8

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Analysis: Won’t fight again until early 2009

9. Ivan Calderon

Points: 30 1/2

Record: 32-0 (6 KOs)

Title: WBO light flyweight champion

Last outing: TD7 over Hugo Cazares on Aug. 30

Previous ranking:: 10

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Analysis: The game’s finest pure boxer

10. Bernard Hopkins

Points: 34

Record: 48-5 (32 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: L12 to No. 3 Joe Calzaghe on April 19

Previous ranking:: 9

Up next: Oct. 18 vs. No. 5 Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City, N.J.

Analysis: Will this be his last fight?

Pacquiao starts his workout

2008-09-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

In preparation for his upcoming blockbuster fight with boxing superstar Oscar Dela Hoya, Pacquiao starts his workout at the Wildcard Gym with his trainer Freddie Roach at Los Angeles California. His workout will also be assited by Roach's deputies Buboy Fernandez, Nonoy Neri, Roger Fernandez among others.

Prior to the start of his training, several onlookers are already at the Gym to get a glimpse on Pacquiao's drills but have to be driven away to make sure Pacquiao won't be distracted during his actual training.

According to Roach, Pacquiao now weighs 147 lbs with 80 days remaining befor the fight. Pacquiao will take conditioning workouts for 10 days and begin light sparring with some fighters hired by Roach.

To make sure Pacquiao will have a good strategy against De La Hoya's very dangerous weapon, his powerful left hook, Roach hired two 154-pounders in Yuri Foreman (5'-11", 25-0 8KOs) and Arron Robinson (5'-10", 6-2-0 4KOs) and one welterweight (147 lbs) in Rashad Holloway (5'-11", 9-1-0 5KOs).

Rashad Holloway said, “My best weapon is my left hook and I'm raring to use it against Manny when I begin to spar with him.”

Hardest training ever for Pacquiao

2008-02-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

As if chasing the biggest fight of his career, Manny Pacquiao is Training very hard amid the bitting cold in Los Angeles for his scheduled rematch against Juan Manuel Marquez.

An article from the Inquirer writes, “Ito na ang pinakamatinding pagsasanay sa buong career ko (This is the hardest I’ve ever trained in my career,” said Pacquiao in a phone patch interview Wednesday. “Ang payat-payat ko na nga eh (I’m already very thin).”

His weight is now between 135-136 lbs. after going through his punishing 33-36 daily rounds of boxing. His opponent though accordingly is lighter weighing between 132-133 lbs.

Despite the unsettling cold weather, he together with another 2 filipino boxer, WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Peñalosa and Diosdado Gabi, did an early morning jog around the hilly La Brea district in Los Angeles, reaching as far as Hollywood. Pacquiao said the temperature in LA is 45 degree Fahrenheit (7.2 Celsius), the article says on his ongoing training.

Although favored by oddsmakers to win the battle over his opponent, Pacquiao refused to predict a knockout win instead he emphasize the importance of winning the fight noting that a knockout is just a bonus.

Earlier, his promoter Bob Arum tells boxingtalk.com that a win over Marquez is not guaranteed but still says "I’m hopeful about the result."

A win over Marquez, coupled with David Diaz win over Ramon Montano who are fighting as undercard on the same fight night will most likely pit the two fighters for a blockbuster fight presumably in Macau on June 21 for the lightweight title currently held by David Diaz.

“We’re expecting a good win from David. If he wins and Pacquiao wins we’re looking to do a huge event on June 21 on a PPV show from Macau, and Pacquiao will fight for the lightweight title,” Arum told Boxingtalk.

Meanwhile, fight fans are expected to turn out for Pacquiao’s media day in San Francisco. This form part of the promotional tour for the upcoming fight although there are thoughts that tickets will still sell like hotcakes.

Picture courtesy of www.mannypacquiao.ph

Pacquiao-Marquez Fight featured in USA Today

2008-02-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

The Scheduled rematch between the two price fighters was so hyped that it landed in the sport section of USA Today. The Article examined their upcoming megafight in Las Vegas.

Having previously beaten two Mexican stars, Juan Manuel Marquez promised that his name will not be included in the list. Their previous fight almost four years ago ended in a 12-round draw. Pacquiao floored Marquez down three times in the first round but Marquez survived and put forth a valiant fight the following rounds enough to convince the judges for the draw.

During their press conference, a reporter asked perhaps the most intriguing question to Pacquiao "If you beat Marquez, would you ever dare vacation in Mexico?"

Pacquiao grinned, then said: "Maybe, but with more bodyguards."

The article takes note of what at stake aside from the belt.
"If Pacquiao beats Marquez, he would capture his third world championship in three weight classes, previously holding the flyweight and junior featherweight titles.

If he Marquez wins, he would capture something even bigger — a legacy."

The fight will be stage on March 15 at the famed Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Arum said Pacquiao is not Assured of a win

2008-02-26T18:11:00.000-08:00

“Do I say Manny is going to win with any certainty? Of course not and that’s what makes this an interesting fight. But I’m hopeful that he does win.” This is the statement of Manny Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum on BoxingTalk.com according to an article in the Philippine Star.

It seems that even the people closest to Manny is not assured of a win comes March 15 in Las Vegas. “I like Manny’s chances, but as you said he’s in a very tough fight with Marquez. I’m hopeful about the result,” Arum continues.

About his future plan on his price fighter, he cited that should Pacquiao wins, his most probable next in line opponent will be reigning WBC lightweight champion David Diaz. Diaz is also scheduled to take stage against another Mexican fighter Ramon Montano as undercard fight in the PAcquiao-Marquez fight. But their fight still depends if both fighters wins on their assigned battle.

“We’re expecting a good win from David. If he wins and Pacquiao wins we’re looking to do a huge event on June 21 on a PPV (pay-per-view) show from Macau and Pacquiao will fight for the lightweight title,” Arum said.

Pacquiao is scheduled to hold a media workout on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) at the Titanium Training Center in San Francisco.

The event, which is open to the public, is aimed at further drumming up the big rematch set at Mandalay Bay, even if there’s really no more need to hype it.

Pacquiao's heart beats faster

2008-02-24T21:43:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao is so excited in his rematch with the WBC super-featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez that his heart is beating faster. This is according to his article posted in PhilBoxing.com. He added that "I am really excited in this rematch with Marquez. I know he is going to be 100 percent coming into this fight as I am also giving everything in training."

Regarding his preparedness as compared to his foe, "I expect Juan Manuel to come in prepared and ready to defend his title but I am also hungry to settle our Unfinished Business, once and for all. So far, everything is under control, everyone is happy in my team and I am in my best shape. I am also reaching my peak at the right time so I expect to give everyone a good show on March 15."

He continued with his current training doing 10-rounds sparring session each on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. And in the coming weeks, he is set to do 12-rounds against 4 or 5 sparring partners.

Pacquiao also mentioned 3 Filipinos who are slated to fight as undercards in this fight. Diosdado Gabi will fight an unbeaten Mexican fighter Abner Mares with 15-0 win-loss record. The other two Filipinos are Aaron Melgarejo and Ernel Fontani, making their first fight in the US, are schedule to fight Mexican fighters.

Manny pacquiao writes on his regular column at PhilBoxing.com keeping millions of his fans updated on his trainings and fights.

The fight is set to take place at the Event Center of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with 12,000 seating capacity.

Training for the "Unfinished Business" fight agains Marquez

2008-02-09T08:21:00.001-08:00

Manny pacquiao continue his rigid training at the wild card gym in preparation for his upcoming fight dubbed as "Unfinished Business" against Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15, 2008. His routine includes an arduous run from the rugged california mountain and sparring session with some mexican fighters with similar style with his opponent to better prepair his techniques comes fight night.

But despite his demanding training schedule, He still able to spare some times signing autographs for fans that troops his camp to get a glimpse on their idol. Pacquiao willingly have a picture taking with his fans and exhange some words.

Come dinner time, he reserve this time to relax a little bit from his daytime training and satisfy his appetite on his favorite foods. Not actually indulge himself but to free himself from the pressure of his training and upcoming fight.

Black Eyed Peas singer Allan Pineda to Sing Pacquiao Entrance Music

2008-02-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Allan Pineda of the popular group Black Eyed Peas will sing the ring entrance of boxing star Manny Pacquiao via live performance when the scheduled rematch between Pacquiao and Juan Manual Marquez happen on March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino dubbed as "Unfinished Business" according to inquirer sources.

Accordingly, Pacquiao personally ask Pineda to sing the entrance music when the latter visited the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood to watch his ongoing training. Pineda is even reportedly walk with Pacquiao into the ring. That will be interesting to see especially, lots of people love the Allan Pineda and his Black Eyed Peas group.
Pacquiao continue his sparring sessions with some mexican sluggers including Juanito Garcia, described as a younger version of Marquez with a record of 14 wins and no loss. 5 by way of KOs.

Following the sparring is some hitting the mitts with trainer Freddie Roach, the article mentioned.

Boxing's 'Most powerful people'

2008-01-25T18:15:00.000-08:00

The filipino ring icon has made it to the list of Yahoo Sport's "most powerful people in boxing." In the article written by Kevin Lole, Manny Pacquiao was no. 16, just behind the president/godfather of the World Boxing Council Jose Sulaiman. He describes Pacquiao "become big box office, which carries major influence. Look at the way Golden Boy and Top Rank went at it over his rights."

Although the list doesn't necessarily based on some scientific criteria, "it is a one man's selections of the people who have the most impact upon the fights you see" they further stressed.

Topping the list is "far and away the most powerful individual in the sport", the "Golden Boy" Oscar Dela Hoya. He is the head of the Golden Boy Promotions, one of boxing's leading promoters. Lole descriobe Dela Hoya as "still the game's best draw, when he chooses to fight, which he says he'll do three times in 2008."

Here's the complete Yahoo list:
1. Oscar De La Hoya - boxer/promoter.
2. Ross Greenburg - president, HBO Sports
3. Bob Arum - chairman, Top Rank.
4. Richard Schaefer - CEO, Golden Boy Promotions.
5. Al Haymon - boxing manager.
6. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - boxer.
7. Mark Taffet - senior vice president, HBO Sports.
8. Dong King - owner, Don King Productions.
9. Shelly Finkel - manager.
10. Todd duBoef - president, Top Rank.
11. Kerry Davis - senior vice president of programming, HBO Sports.
12. Emmanuel Steward - trainer/manager/broadcaster.
13. Ken Hershman - senior vice president and general manager of sports and event programming, Showtime.
14. Bruce Trampler - matchmaker, Top Rank.
15. Jose Sulaiman - president, WBC.
16. Manny Pacquiao - boxer.
17. Eric Gomez - matchmaker, Golden Boy Promotions.
18. Fernando Beltran - promoter.
19. Bernard Hopkins - boxer/president, Golden Boy East.
20. Cameron Dunkin - manager.
21. Lou DiBella - president, DiBella Entertainment.
22. John Bailey - chairman, Nevada Athletic Commission.
23. Leonard Ellerbe - CEO, Mayweather Promotions.
24. Dan Goossen - president, Goossen-Tutor Promotions.
25. Gary Shaw - president, Gary Shaw Productions.

2008-01-20T00:12:00.000-08:00

Manny Pacquiao having a great time with Donna at the embassy bar.

Manny Pacquiao Biography

2008-01-19T23:49:00.000-08:00

Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, (born December 17, 1978 in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines) is a Filipino professional boxer. He is a former world champion at IBF Super Bantamweight, and WBC Flyweight divisions. His brother, Bobby Pacquiao, is a lightweight boxer.

Early career
Pacquiao started his professional boxing career in 1995 at 106 pounds (Light flyweight) at the age of 16. His early fights usually took place in small venues and were shown on Vintage Sports' Blow by Blow evening boxing show (hosted by John Ray Betita). His professional debut was a four-round bout against Edmund Ignacio on January 22, 1995, which Pacquiao won via decision, thus becoming an instant star of the program.

His weight increased from 106 to 113 pounds before losing in his 12th bout against Rustico Torrecampo via a third round technical knockout (TKO). As well-known sportscaster Joaquin "Quinito" Henson observed, Pacquiao clearly had not made weight, so he was forced to use heavier gloves than Torrecampo, thereby putting Pacquiao at a disadvantage.[citation needed]

Shortly after the Torrecampo fight, Pacquiao settled at 112 pounds, winning the WBC Flyweight title over Chatchai Sasakul in the eighth round only to lose it in his second defense against Medgoen Singsurat, or Medgoen 3K Battery, via a third round knockout on a bout held at Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand. Technically, Pacquiao lost the belt at the scales by surpassing the required weight of 112 lb (51 kg).

Following his loss to Singsurat, Pacquiao gained weight anew, this time stopping at the super bantamweight division of 122 lb (55 kg) where he picked up the WBC International Super Bantamweight title, defending it five times before his next world title fight came.

Pacquiao’s big break came on June 23, 2001, against IBF Super Bantamweight champion Lehlohonolo Ledwaba. Pacquiao stepped into the fight as a late replacement and won the fight by technical knockout to become the IBF Super Bantamweight champion on a bout held at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada. He defended this title four times.

Newfound fame
After the Morales bout, Pacquiao was in the limelight again during the first week of February 2006 when a waitress working in a Manila night club claimed that he was the father of her son, born out of a whirlwind affair with the boxer. The boxer, allegedly, was giving the child financial support which was also kept a secret from his wife until she found out and caused a problem in their marriage, but soon mended.

Trainer Freddie Roach had previously voiced concerns about the late night lifestyle and warned that the boxer was in danger of losing both his edge and focus. Roach noted that there are too many distractions surrounding Pacquiao in the Philippines.[2]

On July 2, 2006, Pacquiao defeated another Mexican, Oscar Larios, a two-time super-bantamweight champion. Despite his camp's big promise of an early knockout, the fight went until the final round with Pacquiao knocking down the Mexican two times during the 12-round bout for the WBC International Super Featherweight title held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines.

In September 2006, Pacquiao signed a major deal with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP), headed by Oscar de la Hoya, which is good for seven fights.[4] This development was confirmed by coach Freddie Roach. Under the deal, Pacquiao is guaranteed a prize money of US$5 million for each fight. With regard to profits made on each fight, Pacquiao will be receiving at least 90% while the remaining 10% will go to Golden Boy Promotions.

Pacquiao and Morales fought for a third time (with the "series" tied 1-all) on November 18, 2006. Witnessed by a near-record crowd of 18,276, the match saw Pacquiao defeating Morales via a third-round knockout at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

After the Pacquiao-Morales rematch, Arum announced that Manny returned his signing bonus check back with Golden Boy Promotions signalling intentions to stay with Top Rank. This resulted in GBP's decision to sue the famed fighter over contractual breaches.

At the end of 2006, he was named by both HBO and Ring Magazine as the fighter of the year, with HBO also naming him as the most exciting fighter of the year.

After a failed promotional negotiation with Marco Antonio Barrera's camp, Bob Arum chose Jorge Solis as his next opponent among several fighters that Bob Arum offered him to fight as a replacement. The bout was held in San Antonio on April 14, 2007. In the sixth round of the bout an accidental head butt occurred giving Pacquiao a cut under his left eyebrow. The fight ended in the 8th round when Pacquiao knocked Solis down twice, with Solis barely beating the 10 count after the second knockdown, prompting the referee (who was also a doctor) to stop the fight. The victory raised Pacquiao's win-draw-loss record to 44-3-2 with 35 KOs.

On June 29, 2007 it was announced that Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions agreed to settle their lawsuit, meaning the long-awaited rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera will occur despite being the number 1 contender for the super-featherweight title of Juan Manuel Marquez.

Since Bob Arum was out on a vacation, Golden Boy Promotions' chief executive Richard Schaefer politely declined to discuss Manny Pacquiao’s purse from the October 6, 2007 rematch with Marco Antonio Barrera (at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas). But Pacquiao was likely to get a purse of $5 million, plus possibly a share of the pay-per-view rights.[7] Pacquiao defeated Barrera in their rematch by a wide easy unanimous decision. In the 11th round, Pacquiao's punch caused a deep cut under Barrera's right eye. Barrera retaliated with an illegal punch on the break that dazed Pacquiao but also caused the referee to deduct a point from Barrera. Two judges scored the bout 118-109, while the third scored it 115-112.

In The Ring magazine, Pacquiao (45-3-2) remains at the top of the junior lightweight division (130 pounds). He had been in the ratings for 108 weeks. Pacquiao is also at No. 2 in the pound-for-pound category behind welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather.

On November 13, 2007 he was honored by the WBC as Champ Emeritus during its 45th Annual World Convention held at the Manila Hotel.

On November 18, 2007, the Manila Bulletin Online edition reported a possible bout Manny Pacquiao against Oscar De La Hoya. While it remains to be seen whether it will come to fruition, the prevailing scenario will have Pacquiao battle against David Diaz, the WBC's current reigining lightweight titlist.[12]

On November 20, 2007, Jose Nunez, manager for WBO Super-lightweightweight Champion Joan Guzman, accused Pacquiao's handler, Bob Arum, of evading a match between the two boxers to protect Pacquiao.[13] Guzman went as far as to directly call-out Pacquiao at the post-fight press conference of the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch, in front of a stunned crowd at the Mandalay Bay Events Center's media room in Las Vegas.[14]

To date, Pacquiao and Marquez agreed to have their rematch scheduled on March 15, 2008, to be held at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Politics
Pacquiao ran for a congressional seat to represent the 1st district of South Cotabato, but he was defeated by Darlene Antonino-Custodio. Custodio had 139,061 votes while Pacquiao received 75,908 votes.[17]

For some time, many have speculated that Manny Pacquiao will enter politics after he ends his boxing career. While boxing is far from over for him, he admitted that he is thinking about starting a career in politics. He quietly visited the Philippine Commission on Elections, escorted by Arnold "Ali" Atienza (son of then Manila Mayor Lito Atienza), to transfer his residence from General Santos City to Manila.[citation needed] This fueled speculations that he may seek an elective post in the nation's capital, which even gave him the title "Adopted Son" when he was winning his earlier bouts.

His name was once mentioned as a possible vice-mayoralty candidate to the younger Atienza when the latter sought the city's highest post in the 2007 elections, but backed-out after Sen. Panfilo Lacson, then the leading candidate for Manila mayor, did the same after there were contentions regarding residency issues. (Similarly, Pacquiao also had such issues).

Being known as an Arroyo supporter, his name is also being floated as a candidate of the Lakas CMDparty for the mayoralty race of General Santos City against incumbent Mayor Pedro Acharon. Instead, he was recently sworn-in as a member of the Liberal Party under the Atienza wing, thus further fueling his political ambition.

On February 12, 2007, the famed boxer announced that he was running for congress representing South Cotabato.[18] His decision however easily turned off both his fans and the general public.[19] Election experts stressed that as Pacquiao insists on participating in his next professional boxing match, he will immerse himself into a legal conflict regarding campaign exposure, especially since the match will be televised nationwide. Aside from that, COMELEC commissioner Ben Abalos mentioned a possible legal entanglement could ruin Pacquiao's candidacy since he already registered himself as a Manila resident months prior.

Numerous sports personalities and analysts around the Philippines expressed that Pacquiao should think seriously and deeply about his sports career, which could potentially be destroyed by the dirty world of politics. Popular columnist Randy David mentioned that Pacquiao allowed himself to be used by selfish and desperate politicians.[20] On February 24, 2007 in Cebu City, Pacquiao, for the first time ever, was booed by thousands of spectators as his presence was acknowledged by the organizers of The Battle of Cebu, a WBO-sanctioned boxing festival.[21][22][23][24][25] The embarrassment later led to confusing statements made by Manila Mayor Lito Atienza[26] that the famed fighter would withdraw. Despite the statements however, Pacquiao confirmed to the public that he would still run for office.[citation needed] The negative sentiment among Cebuanos over Pacquiao's political aspiration was felt even before the "The Battle of Cebu" was held as at least one citizen's comment got published by local newspaper Sun Star.

In relation to the April 14 fight with Arce, the political opposition stated that they would not press for a ban on the broadcasting of the match despite its potential to violate election campaign rules.[28] Even though he won over Solis, Pacquiao's appeal has diminished most likely due to his political ambition. His last fight attracted noticeably smaller audiences and his performance was considered by many as disappointing.[29][30] Some election candidates even turned the Pacquiao-Solis match into campaign gigs. Over at General Santos City, Diocese of Marbel spokesman Fr. Angel Buenavides considered President Arroyo's endorsement of Pacquiao as a "curse" as constituents in the area have strong anti-Arroyo sentiments.

On May 17, 2007, Pacquiao suffered a lopsided election defeat to incumbent representative Darlene Antonino-Custodio with a deficit of about 37,000 votes according to the NAMFREL tally. Meanwhile, WBC head Jose Sulaiman stated that Pacquiao "doesn’t appear to be having the same dynamic impact at the ballot box, as he does in the ringed square."[33] The defeat became a depressing matter for the boxer himself as he lost a huge sum of money when his supporters allegedly funneled campaign funds to their own pockets. Pacquiao's personal money was part of the campaign budget.[34] Ironically, Pacquiao's fans rejoiced over his defeat.[35] Some even declared his loss as a "victory" for boxing. On May 20, 2007, Manny Pacquiao formally conceded to his congresswoman Antonino-Custodio, vowing to return to boxing and spend more time with his family.

On an unrelated event, Pacquiao denied rumors on July 7th, that he failed to pay taxes for a luxury vehicle to the Philippine Bureau of Customs when he bought a Porsche Cayenne two weeks before his match with Erik Morales. (A report by Thomas Hauser of secondsout.com said the Porsche Cayenne costs $67,639 or P3.5 million.

On August 1, 2007, Pacquiao filed a P30-million libel suit against 4 journalists of the Manila Bulletin - sports writer Nick Giongco, publisher Hermogenes P. Pobre, editor-in-chief Cris J. Icban Jr., and Sports section editor Ding Marcelo. The complaint stemmed from the article "Trouble in Paradise-Again?" written by Giongco and published July 25 in F-2 sports section of the Manila Bulletin. Pacquiao cited the alleged libelous fourth paragraph of the article - "Pacquiao who spent millions in unsuccessful bid to win a congressional seat in his hometown in General Santos City is reported to be a compulsive gambler and is known to bet hundreds of thousand in casinos, cockfighting, and billiards."[40]On December 20, 2007, the P 30-million libel case filed by Manny Pacquiao was dismissed via "affidavit of desistance". Manny stated that "pursuing the case would only cause inconvenience to him and his family".
After his second victory against Barrera, Pacquiao was promoted to master sergeant of the Philippine Army reserve force.