Manny Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division world champion, took his rightful place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Pacquiao was inducted Sunday afternoon with the Class of 2025 in Canasota, New York. The Filipino superstar was joined alongside Michael “Second To” Nunn, Vinny Paz, Mary Jo Saunders, Yessica Chavez and Anne Sophie Mathis.

“I came from nothing into something,” Pacquiao told The Ring. “That was the beginning of my life and career, but I didn’t give up. I worked hard, I sacrificed and believed in God and prayed to God and did a lot of things to become what I have done.”

Pacquiao’s career, which began in 1995, has been filled with storied rivalries and a legendary run where he won 15 straight fights across four weight classes from 2006-12, including nine over fellow Hall of Famers to cement him as one of boxing’s best pound-for-pound fighters alongside Floyd Mayweather Jr. in their era.

Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) notched 12 wins over current Hall of Famers, including two victories against Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales and Timothy Bradley.

The southpaw also defeated Hall of Famers Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Shane Mosley.

Of those rivalries, none captivated the boxing world like his four-fight feud with Marquez. Pacquiao went 2-1-1 vs the former four-division champion. While that rivalry remains one of the best of this century, Pacquiao believes that it should have never surpassed three fights if it weren’t for judge Burt Clements scoring the first round of the first fight a 10-7 round despite Marquez being knocked down three times on May 8, 2004.

“If the first fight is not a draw, the judges’ mistake with the scorecard, [it was] supposed to be 10-6 because of the three knockdowns,” Pacquiao said. “He scored it 10-7, so supposedly I won the fight and there would be no fourth fight.”

Had Clements scored the first round 10-6, like fellow judges Guy Jutras and John Stewart, Pacquiao would have won a majority decision rather than it being a split draw. Clements scored the fight a draw, while Jutras had it 115-110 for Marquez and Stewart had it 115-110 for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao went on to win the second fight by split decision on March 15, 2008, and the third fight by majority decision on Nov. 12, 2011. Marquez won the fourth and final fight, knocking out Pacquiao in the sixth round on Dec. 8, 2012.

Now, Pacquiao, 46, has his sights set on making more history and breaking his own record as the oldest welterweight champion in boxing history when he faces WBC champion Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao first set the record at 42 years old when he defeated then-WBA welterweight champion Keith Thurman by split decision on July 20, 2019.

While his legacy is more than set, his love for boxing and how much he missed the sport drew him back to face Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) for his belt.

“I love to have a training camp like this,” Pacquiao said. “The training camp, the discipline, there’s a routine every day and also promoting the fight like being interviewed, I miss those moments in life.”

Pacquiao last fought on Aug. 21, 2021, when he lost by unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas, who was a late replacement for Errol Spence Jr. after an eye injury that forced him to withdraw less than two weeks before the fight. Pacquiao looked his age in the loss, though, and he noted his preparation was thrown off by the sudden change of opponent and his legal battle with Paradigm Sports Management.

“New opponent, and I was so bothered at that time because of the case of Paradigm,” Pacquiao said. “They were distracting me in training camp. They did everything they could in training to distract me and I can say I wasn’t 100 percent focused on that fight. They came to the gym while I was training.”

The California state court ruled in Pacquiao’s favor in 2024, saying he didn’t break his contract with PSM to face Ugas. The court had originally sided with PSM in 2023 and ordered Pacquiao to pay them $5.1 million for breach of contract.

Now, nearly four years later, Pacquiao believes the time off has done him well and allowed his body to fully recuperate entering his fight vs Barrios. And with no distractions as he’s well into training camp, he’s found the same drive that turned him into one of the greatest fighters of the 21st century.

“The hunger is back,” Pacquiao said. "The determination is back. Not only am I back in my career, but the determination and eagerness is back.”