Manny Pacquiao Reveals Which Fighters He Enjoyed Sharing The Ring With

Manny Pacquiao recently revealed who his favorite opponents were and it is easy to see why.

Forbes’ Andy Frye had an email conversation with the Filipino superstar that inevitably drifted towards boxing.

Frye asked Pacquiao who he enjoyed facing off with, and his answers went about as expected.

“My matchups with [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales, and [Juan Manuel] Marquez were some of my favorite matchups because of the type of fights we were able to give the fans,” said Pacquiao via email.

“The fans always enjoy two guys that aren’t afraid to go toe-to-toe, and those matchups were some of the most memorable. I won some and I lost some of those, but it has been an honor to share the ring with so many great warriors.”

Pacquiao’s boxing career was on the rise when he faced Barrera in 2003 and finished him in the 11th round via technical knockout-the only loss in the Mexican’s career to have come via stoppage.

Barrera would again lose to Pacquiao in 2007 via unanimous decision, propelling Pacquiao to his next fight: Marquez.

The first meeting between Marquez and Pacquiao in 2004 was a controversial one as the fight was ruled a draw, despite Pacquiao knocking Marquez down thrice in the first round.

Marquez counter-punched his way to a comeback and frustrated Pacquiao, a sign of things to come in their storied rivalry.

Their saga would be put on hold in favor of the three-fight spectacle between Pacquiao and Morales.

It is an easy fight to watch for any boxing fan, and Pacquiao himself presumably, as it was an all-out war where both men threw bombs at each other and hit often.

Pacquiao lost the first fight via unanimous decision after sustaining a cut over his right eye from an accidental clash of heads, but he would assert his dominance over Morales in the next two fights and would knock him out in both occasions--in the 10th and third round respectively.

Then came the career-defining war with Marquez as their second bout in 2008 saw them both bloodied and beaten, with Pacquiao eking out the split decision victory and Marquez’s camp calling for a third fight.

They would not meet again in the ring until 2011, where a controversial majority decision in favor of Pacquiao would spawn the fourth and rivalry-defining fight between the two superstars, despite Pacquiao landing more shots.

Marquez would find vindication against Pacquiao after knocking him out cleanly with a “Hail Mary” overhand right with a second remaining in the sixth round, to close out that chapter of their careers.

Pacquiao’s career is currently in limbo as he mulls retirement or running for president of the Philippines after losing via unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas last August 21.