I fought Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and got KO’d by Juan Manuel Marquez but none hit harder than ‘Junito’

Manny Pacquiao had 72 professional bouts but there is one he still feels the effects of today.

In 2009, Pacquiao came up against Miguel Cotto, otherwise known as ‘Junito’, as the Filipino dared to become a world champion in a seventh different weight class.

And he did just that, dropping Cotto in both the third and fourth rounds of the fight.

From there, Pacquiao steadily beat his opponent into submission until the final round of the fight when the referee had seen enough and waved off the contest.

While it looked to be an utterly dominant performance from Pacquiao, he has since admitted that Cotto’s punches took a serious toll on him.

Speaking to the Ring Magazine in July 2015, a few months after his clash with Floyd Mayweather, which remains the highest grossing fight of all time, Pacquiao was asked who hit him the hardest in his career.

“Miguel Cotto,” Pacquiao replied. “I can still feel some of those punches he threw at me.

Cotto began boxing when he was 11 in Puerto Rico and left the amateur ranks with a 125-23 record, winning silver at the Olympics in 2000 and then collecting titles in the pro ranks to become a four-weight champion.

“Staying on the ropes is not the best place to be when you are fighting him,” Pacquiao continued.

“He’s also accurate. He’s incredible.”

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Two fights after taking on Cotto, Pacquiao moved up in weight again, an incredible feat considering he began his career at flyweight, clashing with Antonio Margarito in the super welterweight division.

‘Pacman’ delivered yet another boxing masterclass to win the WBC 154lb world title and become an eight-weight world champion.

Pacquiao’s career continued until 2017 when he lost in a world title fight against Yordenis Ugas, but he will forever be remembered as one of the greatest fighters to step in a boxing ring.

And there are rumours that he will be back one last time, as he plans to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics in the hopes of adding a gold medal to his haul of career accolades.