The son of newly inducted International Boxing Hall of Famer, Manny Pacquiao, "Jimuel" Pacquiao will make his professional debut in California on Saturday night. Talk about HUGE shoes to fill?
The legacy of Manny Pacquiao continues Saturday night. With a twist.
Pacquiao’s eldest son, Manny “Jimuel” Pacquiao Jr., is poised to begin his professional boxing journey in a moment charged with both personal and historic significance. The 24-year-old will step into the ring for the first time as a professional, facing fellow debutant Brendan Lally in a scheduled four rounder promoted by the father's 'Manny Pacquiao" Promotions in Temecula, CA.
Jimuel enters this new chapter following a focused and productive three-year amateur run that showcased his talent, discipline, and deep love for the sport that made his father an international icon and a hall of fame inductee earlier this year.
Pacquiao Jr. has been training under respected coach Marvin Somodio at the famed Wild Card Boxing Gym in L.A. and has embraced a rigorous regimen designed to prepare him for the expectations and pressures that inevitably accompany the Pacquiao name.
This debut arrives at a transformative moment in Jimuel’s life (and his dad's) outside the ring, as well. He and his fiancée are expecting their first child later this year — a milestone that will also make Manny Sr. a first-time grandfather. The convergence of these events adds emotional weight to Jimuel’s professional launch, underscoring the generational shift taking place within one of boxing’s most storied families.
The younger Pacquiao spoke about the whole situation and his debut earlier this month at a media workout,
“I learn from the best, my dad. Boxing is really tough and it takes a lot of discipline. You have to be consistent. Eat, sleep, train. My father is a very big influence on my training, especially on my footwork. He is always watching. I try to take some of his moves.”
On his professional debut “I’m really excited. I’ve been waiting for this for a really long time. My coaches and my team have been working for this and I’m excited to go in there and show people what we’ve been working on.”
“The pressure is definitely there. People like to compare because my dad was already world champion by the time he was 20. I try to tune it out. I’m my own person and I’m at my own pace. I have a really good team around me.”
Yet, despite the legacy surrounding him, Jimuel has made it clear that he aims to build a career defined by his own accomplishments, not merely those of his legendary father.
That's going to be tough to do, when your father is the only eight division world champ in the history of the sport and came out of a near four year retirement to fight a draw against WBC welterweight champ Mario Barrios in Las Vegas back in July.
Now, standing in the opposite corner is Chicago native Brendan Lally, a fighter whose story mirrors Jimuel’s in its spirit of determination. Lally discovered boxing while in college and quickly devoted himself fully to the sport, ultimately capturing a collegiate national championship. Lally is also debuting in a serious spotlight for a four round fight.
And, his rapid rise and hunger for opportunity make him a particularly compelling opponent for Jimuel’s first test.
With both athletes entering their professional debuts on the same night, their clash promises to deliver intensity, ambition, and the spark of two careers just beginning. In a matchup destined to be remembered, Lally is prepared to challenge the weight of legacy, while Jimuel is ready to honor it — and move beyond it — in pursuit of his own bright future.
Time to see what he looks like on his own Saturday night.