MANNY Pacquiao has left an indelible mark in Philippine boxing that up to this day, no one has reached the heights achieved by the eight-division world champion.
We’ve heard that countless times from pundits asking, “Who’s gonna be the next Pacquiao?” in search of that next great Filipino boxer.
But what if the next Manny might not even be a man?
What if, in this country chock-full of pugilists, the next big thing in Philippine boxing might just be a woman?
And we don’t need to look far as Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas may just be well on their way in achieving that feat.
The female boxers have certainly staked their case, establishing their names among the sport’s greats with their incredible performances in the amateur front, none bigger than that of the Olympic stage.
Being spoken in the same breath as Pacquiao, though, is already an enormous honor for the two.
“Sobrang nakaka-motivate,” said Villegas, who won the bronze medal in the inaugural women’s light flyweight division in the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Sobrang grateful lang sa pakiramdam and nakaka-proud.”
Petecio, who is the first Filipino boxer to win medals in multiple Olympics after taking home silver in Tokyo 2020 and bronze in Paris 2024 both in the women’s featherweight division, said that as humbling as the praises are, Pacquiao is no comparison.
“Di ko masasabi yung sarili ko na next na Manny Pacquiao dahil iba si sir Manny eh. Iba na yung karangalan na nadala niya sa bansa at idol na siya ng bayan. Kaya ang layo talaga at di ko masasabing ako yung next,” she said.
To a degree, it’s true.
Pacquiao’s accomplishments are unrivaled in the Philippine landscape, making the decorated pro boxer already a household name even abroad.
But that’s not to say Petecio and Villegas’ accolades does not hold a candle.
They may be considered as amateurs, but the two were the first women boxers to reach the podium in the Olympics, and in Petecio’s case, the only woman to bag a silver medal for the Philippines in the quadrennial event.
Rightfully so, they were also recently bestowed the President’s Award in the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night.
More than the lofty standards that they’re chasing, what’s telling is how the two have championed the cause for women in sports, especially in a male-dominated sport of boxing.
“Masarap sa pakiramdam na bilang babae, naipapakita namin na kaya naming sumabay sa larangan na ito. Di basta-basta ang sport na ito lalo na sa aming mga babae, pero naipapakita namin na kaya namin,” said Villegas.
“Mapa-boxing pa yan o martial arts, sports is for everyone.”
And this only serves as fuel for them to chase the dream further, not settling for the honor they’ve gotten as they hope to bring home more gold medals back to the Philippines, particularly at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics – if the sport gets the green light, of course.
“Every time na naririnig ko yung mga taong naniniwala sa akin na kaya kong manalo ng gintong medalya, nakaka-boost talaga ng morale at nakaka-inspire yun,” said Petecio. “Isang kulay na lang yung kulang kaya sana makumpleto ko bago ako tuluyang tumigil sa pagba-boxing.”
Along with that, the struggle also comes with the quest to inspire more aspiring boxers, especially the women, to follow their footsteps.
“Ituloy lang nila yung pangarap at simulan nila sa sarili nila,” said Villegas.
Petecio agreed, saying, “Bago mo makuha ang lahat, kailangan mong pagkatiwalaan ang sarili mo. Kaya focus lang sa goal, laging bumalik kung saan ka nagsimula at alalahanin kung bakit nabuo yung pangarap mo.”
Pacquiao may already be an unreachable star for these rising supernovas, but don’t you dare discount their shine one bit.
Petecio said it best: “Pag sinabi na boxing sa Pilipinas, Manny Pacquiao talaga agad yan. Pero para sa amin naman, gagawa lang kami ng sarili naming pangalan. Sana balang araw, maalala din ng tao yung nagawa naming mga Nesthy Petecio at Aira Villegas.”
We’ll dare say even if it's 20 or 30 years in the future, you bet we will.
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