WBA Names Manny Pacquiao ‘Centennial Champion’ as Former 8-Division World Champion Retires From Boxing

Following his recent retirement, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao was named by the World Boxing Association (WBA) as its "Centennial Champion" for his contributions in and out of the boxing ring.

According to Sunstar via Yahoo News, the Filipino boxing icon was named as the "Centennial Champion" by the WBA not only to honor the legend of the sport of boxing but also to celebrate their 100 years of existence.

Manny Pacquiao Bags WBA 'Centennial Champion' Title

After closing his professional boxing career, Manny Pacquiao met all the requirements needed to obtain recognition, a title that he will never lose. The Filipino boxer earned it by leaving a great legacy in and out of the boxing ring.

On its official website, the WBA said the whole organization was proud to give the distinction to a man who gave so much to the world of boxing.

The WBA congratulated the former 8-division world champion for his outstanding career. The WBA was also very proud to honor Manny for representing the "black and gold colors" during his career.

"A big shout out to our Centennial Champion, Mr. Manny Pacquiao," the WBA noted. The 42-year-old boxer recently confirmed his retirement from the sport after fighting for 26 years as a pro.

Manny Pacquaio decided to close his boxing career because he wanted to focus on his political career after declaring that he would run for the presidency in the 2022 elections in his native land, the Philippines.

Manny Pacquiao's Legendary Boxing Career

In boxing history, Manny Pacquiao is the only one to win world titles in eight different weight divisions. That included weight divisions of Featherweight, Super Featherweight, Flyweight, Super Bantamweight, Lightweight, Light Welterweight, Light Middleweight, and Welterweight.

Pacquiao was considered the lineal champion in the Flyweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, and Welterweight divisions.

The People's Champ beat some of the best boxers in the boxing sport's history. The list included the likes of Oscar Dela Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Miguel Cotto.

Pacquiao finished his career in professional boxing with 62 wins, eight losses, and two draws with 39 of his wins ended with a knockout.

Pacman was also named the "Fighter of the Decade" for the 2000s by the Boxing Writers Association of America or BWAA. The Filipino boxer was also a three-time Ring magazine and BWAA "Fighter of the Year" (2006, 2008, 2009).

His last fights included a win against Lucas Matthysse in 2018, where he won the WBA welterweight belt with a seventh-round stoppage. In 2019, he also successfully defended the belt with a unanimous decision over Adrien Broner.

Manny Pacquiao also became a super champion in WBA's welterweight division in 2019 after winning against Keith Thurman via split decision. However, his last fight was a unanimous decision loss in the hands of Yordenis Ugas in August. 21.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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