Manny Pacquiao is not a man who has been defeated often in his career, although his first-ever knockout loss came against a man who would find infamy for different reasons years later.
The Filipino fighter beat some of the biggest boxers in the world during his prime, with Manny Pacquiao ending Oscar De La Hoya’s career and knocking Ricky Hatton into retirement in two of his most notable wins.
However, he has tasted defeat too. Pac-Man has a 62-8-3 record in his career, with his most famous loss being the $600 million clash with Floyd Mayweather, which took the boxing world by storm in 2015.
Pacquiao’s first defeat came at the start of his career to a little-known fighter who would later gain notoriety for all the wrong reasons.
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Manny Pacquiao was knocked out by Rustico Torrecampo for the first time as a 17-year-old
Unlike many all-time greats, Pacquiao didn’t rack up an amazing win streak before suffering his first defeat in a big fight.
The Filipino was only 11-0 and still fighting in his home country when he was beaten for the first time by his countryman, Rustico Torrecampo, on February 9, 1996.
Pacquiao had just turned 17 years old at the time, and fought just weeks after a fifth-round victory over Lito Torrejos.
In fact, PacMan had fought in almost every month since debuting the year prior, including two fights in October to round out a busy start to his career.
His fight with Torrecampo was a controversial one, as Pacquiao missed weight by one pound and was forced to wear eight-ounce gloves, while his opponent was given six-ounce gloves with the potential to do more damage.
The finish was even more controversial. Pac-Man was knocked down in the third round as Torrecampo hit him with his shoulder while also landing a low blow on the future eight-time champion.
Despite the blatant foul, the referee still counted Pacquiao out and called the match for Torrecampo, as he looked glassy-eyed and struggled to get to his feet after the attack.
This was a huge win for Torrecampo, but his life would take a sharp turn compared to the man he just beat.
Rustico Torrecampo was arrested for murder years after beating Manny Pacquiao
While Pacquiao went on to win world titles in eight different weight classes and is regarded as an all-time great, Torrecampo’s career went quite differently from the man he knocked out.
He fought just seven more times after the Pacquiao clash, winning just two of them as he failed to build momentum after the win.
A broken wrist, which he never got treated, ended Torrecampo’s career soon after, and he found a job working in a factory before selling food out of a bicycle cart.
This lasted until 2007, when he was accused of killing a man who hit his cart with their truck, although he never spent any time in prison for the alleged murder.
Torrecampo was arrested before being released on bail in 2011, making a one-time comeback that same year to round off a disappointing career that paled in comparison to Pacquiao.