Manny Pacquiao says one man stands alone as his favourite ever fighter

Eight-division conqueror Manny Pacquiao has a special place in the hearts of many fighters and fans, but when it came to the favourite boxer of the Filipino icon, Pacquiao made his thoughts clear.

Pacquiao is the only fighter in history to have claimed world honours in eight different weight-classes; a feat that seems insurmountable and one that thrusts ‘PacMan’ into conversations as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.

Additionally, Pacquiao is the only fighter to have held a world title across four different decades, with his victory over Keith Thurman in 2019 seeing him become the oldest ever welterweight world champion – 21 years after he knocked out Chatchai Sasakul to claim the WBC flyweight world title.

These achievements, alongside his modest personality and admirable mentality, make Pacquiao one of the most beloved boxers to have ever laced the gloves.

Yet, in an interview with Boxing King Media, the 46-year-old southpaw embraced former featherweight ruler ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed and revealed that the Briton is his own favourite fighter.

“This is my favourite boxer!”

Prince Naseem is one of the UK’s best ever fighters, having held multiple featherweight world championships between 1995 and 2000, leading to an induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

As for Pacquiao, the Filipino great continues to strive for further accolades to extend his legacy in the sport and a recent comeback could result in the veteran breaking his own record and reclaiming the welterweight throne, after drawing with WBC champion Mario Barrios back in July.