Emmanuel “Manny” Dapidran Pacquiao is the only eight-division world champion, having won 10 major world titles and he is also the only boxer to ever hold the lineal championship in 5 different weight classes.

Pacquiao has had big name fights with Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley Jr., Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito and Floyd Mayweather Jr. He is also one of the few fighters in boxing history that always comes into the ring smiling and leaves the ring smiling, whether he wins or loses.

His record is 59 wins, 38 wins by knockouts, 6 losses and 2 draws. Right now, he serves in office as the Senator of the Philippines. He waves the Philippine flag in pride.  He hails from the Sarangani province in the Philippines. He is the reigning champion of the world, that went into retirement for a few short months and came out of retirement to outbox the up and coming boxing star, Jessie Vargas. He is undoubtedly the people’s champion. But with humble people, come humble beginnings.

Most boxing fans are left to wonder, who is Manny Pacquiao and where in the heck did he come from?

“As I look back on my life,” Manny Pacquiao says in the HBO Documentary Manny, “there have been so many twists and turns. The people that celebrate me now, can’t really understand where I come from.”

Manny Pacquiao is the fourth of six siblings. He was born on December 17, 1978, in Kibawe, Bukidnon in the Philippines, a small village in the Philippines that relies heavily on fishing. He was born in the midst of civil war and he was raised in the silhouette of war. Ferdinand Marcos, the dictator of the Philippines at the time, imposed martial law. In the Southern provinces, rebellion raged and the country of the Philippines, was in chaos. After a close encounter with the rebels and the army, Pacquiao moved to the Province of Sarangani.

“When we barely get there, is the first time I see a car,” says Manny Pacquiao in an HBO interview, “I was so scared of the car. Then I see a tricycle, motorcycle and I hid because I didn’t know what it was. I was so amazed of the television the first time I saw it. I looked around it to try and find the people inside of the screen.”

Manny Pacquiao is the son of Rosalio Pacquiao and Dionisia Dapidran-Pacquiao. His parents divorced when Pacquiao’s mother discovered his father was living with another woman. They divorced when Pacquiao was only in 6th grade; he soon became the man of the house, dropping out of school in 6th grade to sell gum and warm donuts on the streets. He admits going days without eating, so that his siblings and mother would eat. Soon becoming homeless, they moved in with Pacquiao’s uncle. This is where Pacquiao began training: running without shoes, training with worn out boxing gloves. Pacquiao had passion for the sport.

At age 13, seeing his mother struggle to keep her family afloat, Pacquiao left his family and snuck onto a boat, which traveled 3 days to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. With no money, no food Pacquiao pursued his dream of becoming a professional boxer. He found a gym, where he slept in the ring at nights because he had no family to stay with in Manila. Pacquiao applied for a boxing license at age 16, when the required minimum is 18. He lied about his age and put heavy objects in his pockets to make the minimum weight required for a boxing license, 110 lbs. Pacquiao was a brawler at first, no style, no technique, just going in for a knockout. Everyone he fought, was bigger than him and Pacquiao always came up the underdog.

Jinkee Pacquiao was pregnant with their first child when Pacquiao was almost knocked out in Antipolo, Philippines. They soon married on May 10, 2000. Pacquiao had run out of opponents in the Philippines, so he headed to the United States with his team, to look for more opposition and opportunity. They ended up in Los Angeles, the Wild Card Boxing Gym, where he instantly connected with boxing trainer, Freddie Roach. After a couple days of training in the Wild Card Boxing Gym, Pacquiao and his team got a huge break. Lehlo Ledwaba from South Africa, was looking for a substitute opponent for his bout set on June, 23, 2001 in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, for the IBF Super Bantamweight title. Pacquiao, now, 32 wins with 2 losses, took the fight on two weeks notice. Pacquiao was the underdog, with a 44 to 1 chance of winning. Pacquiao, as always, came out victorious, with a TKO in the 6th round. This was his United States debut. Everything else, is history.

Manny Pacquiao went on to fight Mexican star, Marco Antonio Barrera, where he won with a TKO in the 11th round. He then received his first draw with Juan Manuel Marquez. He lossed against Erik Morales his following fight. He won the next two fights against Erik Morales, by TKO in the 10th round and a KO in the 3rd round. Pacquiao then won Marco Antonio Barrera again by Unanimous Decision and won Juan Manuel Marquez by Split Decision. He then won Oscar De La Hoya by TKO in the 8th round, a surprising victory due to De La Hoya’s size compared to Pacquiao. The list goes on and on.

Manny Pacquiao, one of the few fighters to come into the ring and out of the ring smiling, whether he wins or loses, is undoubtedly, the people’s champion. His record is 59 wins, 38 wins by knockouts, 6 losses and 2 draws. Right now, he serves in office as the Senator of the Philippines. He waves the Philippine flag in pride. He hails from the Sarangani province in the Philippines.

“Boxing gives people power and hope,” Pacquiao ends an interview with HBO, “boxing has given me my voice. But why do I box? Why do I fight? Is it my true purpose? I know what I am. I am a fighter. Whatever life brings me, whatever arena I enter, I will always be a fighter.”