Chunks of History
By Rene Bonsubre, Jr.
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 03 May 2009
For the third time in his career, Manny Pacquiao was involved in a fight which had a historical and linear world title belt on the line from Ring Magazine.
The first was in November 2003 when he beat Marco Antonio Barrera for the Ring Magazine featherweight world title. Last March 2008, when he beat Juan Manuel Maquez for the WBC superfeatherweight world title, he was also considered the world 130 lb. champion by the publication considered as Boxings bible because Pacquiao and Marquez were ranked by the Ring as the top two in the division.
Pacquiao took the Ring magazine junior welterweight title from Britain's Ricky The Hitman Hatton with an electrifying two round blitzkrieg that shocked most boxing pundits who were expecting a more competitive bout. Hatton walked into a right hook in the first round, got up and fell down again after a lightning barrage but was saved by the bell. In the second, like all recent Pacman opponents, Hatton could not see Pacquiao's left coming for his jaw.
This places Pacquiao in a lofty place in boxing history. The likes of Henry Armstrong and Bob Fitzimmons won undisputed titles in three different weights during the time when there was still only one world sanctioning body.
Incredibly, Pacquiao has fought in four weight categories in a span of fifteen months and won world titles in three of them.
Aside from the Ring magazine belts, he has also won four world titles from the major sanctioning bodies - the WBC flyweight, IBF superbantamweight, WBC superfeatherweight and WBC lightweight in his fourteen year professional career. He is also the first Asian boxer to be ranked number one best fighter pound per pound in the world.
Ring magazine as a publication started in 1922 and started their own championship policy in 2002.
The junior welterweight division lineage started in 1925 with James Herring as its first champion. Roberto Cruz was the first Filipino to win the world junior welterweight championship when he knocked out Battling Torres of Mexico in a single round in a bout held in Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles in 1963 when the original WBA was the lone boxing sanctioning body.
The title was split when the WBC was created and Pedro Adigue of the Philippines became the first WBC jr.welterweight titlist in 1968 when he beat Adolf Pruitt of the U.S. by 15 round decision in a bout held at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The WBA continued to recognize Nicolino Locche as its champion then he lost to Peppermint Frazier in 1972. The titles remained split since as the IBF emerged during the mid-1980s. The WBO started in 1988 while the IBO, whose belt Hatton also held, started during the late eighties and evolved as an organization during the early 1990's.
Other Filipinos who won titles at 140 pounds include Morris East (WBA 1992).
Kotsya Tszyu finally unified the titles again when he beat Miguel Angel Gonzales for the WBC belt in 1999, Sharmba Mitchell for the WBA title in 2000 and Zab Judah for the IBF belt in 2001.
When Tzsyu lost to Ricky Hatton by 11th round TKO in 2005, the linear title was passed on to the British fighter. Titles are won and lost inside the ring after all thus Pacquiao can lay claim to the lineage. Pacquiao has now distinguished himself in six weight divisions. Not bad for a guy who started at light flyweight.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Herlan Gomez, Jason Moloney Make Weight for WBC Australasia Bantamweight Battle in Australia
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025OLYMPIC BOXING 5: 1928 OLYMPICS AT AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Class of 2026 Announced in Canastota
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Thailand’s Niyomtrong “Knockout CPF” Decisions Junior Zárate, Becomes World Champion Again
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025WORLD RANKED FILIPINO BOXERS AS OF DECEMBER 2025 BY THE RING, WBC, WBA, IBF, AND WBO
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025Shinard Bunch Takes on John Paul Magalong on Tuesday, January 13th at The UFC Gym North Brunswick in North Brunswick, NJ
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Severino and Mendoza win Blitz Asian Chess Championship for Players with Disabilities
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 05 Dec 2025Herlan Gomez Departs for Australia for Moloney Fight Saturday on DAZN
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 04 Dec 2025KENNETH LLOVER DEFENDS OPBF TITLE IN FOURTH FIGHT OF 2025
Thu, 04 Dec 2025Canoy, Mama, Into Contend in IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Dubai
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 04 Dec 2025CHAMPIONING MENTAL HEALTH 2: REMATCH SEASON FULL FIGHT CARD SET
Thu, 04 Dec 2025MERRY FISTMAS! World-Ranked KO Artist Ramon Cardenas Faces Erik Robles in ProBoxTV Main Event at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Thursday, December 18
Thu, 04 Dec 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 2 DECEMBER 2025: Kavaliauskas Wins by Split Decision Over Molina; Whittaker Stops Gavazi in 1; Malajika Wins by UD Over Paras
By Eric Armit, Wed, 03 Dec 2025WBC Strips Terence Crawford of Super Middle Title
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 03 Dec 2025