Emmanuel Pacquiao Jr Wins First Amateur Bout

Emmanuel “Jimuel” Pacquiao Jr is continuing the legacy of his family name.

On Saturday, Pacquiao nabbed his first victory with a decision win over Andres Rosales at the House of Boxing gym in San Diego, California, moving his amateur record to 1-0. This was Pacquiao’s first sanctioned bout; he previously competed in unsanctioned bouts in Manila, Philippines.

“This is only his first amateur fight but he showed me that he has heart. He’ll get better and stronger,” said Marvin Somodio, who was an assistant to Pacquiao Jr’s father for a decade.

Both boxers came out firing, but it was Pacquiao who showed a good left jab and landed some overhand rights in front of a packed crowd. Pacquiao consistently beat his opponent to the punch.

No decision or scores were read, just that Pacquiao – who fought out of the red corner – had won the bout.

According to Somodio, Pacquiao Jr will continue to train in Los Angeles at Wild Card Boxing Club, the same gym his father first trained at in 2001. The 43-year-old Pacquiao retired over the summer as the only eight-division world champion in the history of boxing.

The 21-year-old amateur is actively looking for a second bout. But aside from boxing, he’s also worked as an actor and model. His YouTube has over 560,000 subscribers.

It took a while for Pacquiao Sr to give his blessings for his son to box, but was eventually worn down by his insistence.

Pacquiao Sr has an amateur record of 60-4. He had his first fight at 12 years old before going pro at 16.

Pacquiao Jr joins a long list of sons who picked up boxing after their legendary fathers including Julio Cesar Chavez, Leon Spinks, Chris Eubank and Joe Frazier to name a few.