Yeah. Yeah. Michael Carbajal.  I saw that all many fights of them.  But when you got when you came to the US, you came as a stoway like you were you were  How did you get to the United States?  Oh, that’s that’s that was way back 2001. Like we came here for vacation really,  not for a fight. Really?  Yes.

That was uh May um like third week of May. That was uh third third week of May. We came here uh United for for just for a vacation. Uh  first time  first time with my my manager and we arrived in San Francisco  and uh when we arrived at San Francisco, we look for a gym and there’s no we don’t see a gym there, boxing gym. So we ride a Greyhound bus from San Francisco to  LA  to LA and then Greyhound bus is near here like uh in in Hollywood.

So we asked for boxing gym and somebody’s uh uh brought us here in in wild card on that time my manager is like you know because my manager was so proud of me because uh I I but I als I already a former champion world champion before when we came here  cuz uh I remember my manager talk to Freddy Freddy can you do a meet with my boxer like can do a couple rounds with my mid doit with my boxer and Freddy.

Yeah, sure. Sure. Can do. And then and Freddy, wow, what is that? Like and Freddy like like me like  and then I like Freddy Ro cuz the way we do pants like okay we do pans. Okay, tomorrow we we do it again like and he loves my my style. Yeah, I’m so fast like and then it happened that there’s a fight with Oscar de la Hoya and Castileo that was June 23, 2001.

And the undercard is uh Lil Lio Hanol Lewaba my weight division 123 122 and he’s uh uh fighting with the number one mandatory uh which is uh I don’t know where come from guy what country is that but he got endured two weeks before the fight.  Oh  and they’re looking for  replacement. Yeah,  replacement for the the challenger because they call the number two contender from Thailand, but he’s not prepared. He cannot make it the weight.

So, and I think I’m the number three or number five that time at IBF.  It’s time that I’m here. And they asked me, are you going to fight um two weeks from now? Yeah.  Just two weeks notice. Are you are you ready for that?  Okay. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I will fight. Two weeks. Two weeks notice. I’ll fight and then uh that’s the time I I have a break.

Man, it’s it’s powerful story. Freddy had no idea who was coming in this gym. No idea or or the or the the story that you guys were going to have after you got here. It’s just unbelievable, man. Man, you won a couple championships and then your first big fight was in November 2003 against Marco Antonio Barrera.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.  You went down in the first round. I think he went down in third round and you beat the great Marco Antonio Barrera  the whole round.  How did your life change after that fight?  Every time they asked me about what is your most favorite fight in your career?  I told them that Marco Antonio won  because that’s the open door for me in here in United States.

Yes.  Yes.  Yes. Right. Yes.  Open doors because this surprised like where it came where this come from this guy like you know  that’s when I first heard about you. I was a young amateur boxer and I started hearing about this guy Pacquiao. Pacquiao. But I remember I watched you fight Marquez.

You knocked him down three times in the first round. I remember I was sleep. I was on my bed. I was watching that. And then when you knocked him down I fell asleep. I was like it’s over. And then I woke up toward the end and the fight was still going on. I was confused. I was like what what happened? I was confused.  Supposedly, I won that fight.

The judges missed the the scorecard. Supposedly, he has to score 10 six. He scored like 10 seven because three three knockdown is you must score 10 six.  If there is no three knockdown rule,  that’s the rules of boxing. If there is no three knockdown rules, you must score 10 six if three knockdowns. So that’s a m of uh of and second is that time I got in the first round I got blister on my big blister on my my my foot.

So that’s why I it’s hard hardly to move.  Yeah man. You went from that fight man you went on a crazy run. You fought Morales uh multiple times. You fought Barrera again. You fought Marquez again. But then the Oscar De La Hoya fight in 2008, that was that was the that was the next level when you did what you did to Oscar.

First of all, did you know it was going to be that easy? And second of all, like what was your life like after that fight?  You know, that’s a that’s a good thing. Yeah, good good question because you know you know does that I’m moving up in different ways from 1226 to Maro Anton Barera 130 and then 135 to uh uh  40 35 40 no 147  135 and then jump to 147.

But before that, Bob Arma asked me cuz uh I just finished my uh fight with uh David Diaz 135, right? Did he asked me cuz uh somebody’s uh putting my picture into Dilaw fighta? Then there’s a rumor like oh maybe this this guy this guy like can be can be can can good can be a good fight and Bob Adam he could um are you uh are you willing are you interested to fight Oscar de la Hoya and then I I told Pab, let me think about it.

Just give me couple days and I will I will I will answer you. Okay. Then I watch his low fight and I watch his fight. I I watch his style like you know and then I study I just I did I just study my style and his style. I study it and then what what I going to do to to beat him like  Exactly. And after 3 days, three or four days, I called Bab.

Bab, okay, I can fight him. Really? Yes, I can fight him because I knew I know what I’m going to do. So during that time when when the fight zone four weeks before the fight like uh no uh four months like during that time like I from the beginning of our training day all my movements punches everything like that we I study that every day I don’t throw punches that not usable to my opponent Right.

All punches that can be  can land against him.  Land against him like I use it and then the footwork like that. I study perfection like the like that when he job bang and then when he he jump like a lot of count moving around like Manny that that took you to another level though after you beat him.

Oscar being as big as he was and then the way you did it.  Yeah. Yeah. I was under underweight on that uh fight.  This is my 1443 like  and that was for  142 143 142. Yeah.  What was the fight contracted at?  147.  47, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Were you shocked at how how I mean no fight is easy, but  at home looking at it, it was easier than we thought it was going to be.

Were you shocked about that  after it was over?  No. The result of the the fight, we really expected that.  Okay. Because we find a guy like De La Hoya style like our sparring asparing like we find like and then for four months like I studying like perfectly accurately  I delivered that’s why I’m very confident  to uh to win the fight.

But after this fight Manny like like how are you dealing with being Manny Pacquiao? You’re a global star. You are a national hero. that the time that I became uh number one pound per pound in the world.  How how are you dealing with it as a personally like being that big? How are you dealing with that at that time?  I never like the fans, the world, all comers like everything like that.

I mean recognition everywhere like that. even in the Philippines because most of the people in the Philippines don’t believe that I’m going to win the fight because even in our Congress some some congressman filed a resolution to stop the fight because it might get hurt me like  really like Yeah.  They were praying for you.

They said that they they said that stop to stop the fight to stop the fight because uh they might get hurt me.  Yeah. Yeah. It’s like that. It’s like that. So after the fight like the people oh like boom like that and then and then um that time like you know oh this is but I still you know thinking to God for everything like uh all that accomplishment is from God but man your life wasn’t the same man it wasn’t the same like you can’t go anywhere whether you’re in the Philippines or in America now you got

people lined outside the gym you can’t even train in peace. So how how did you deal with that? Like did you I mean you had to notice it but like how did it affect your family affect you?  There is a saying that you have you understand how to balance it like with great power comes great responsibility. So you became a popular person, you become a f you know famous.

So that’s your responsibility. The fans supported you, the people supported you. So it’s your it’s your obligation to you know to give them time you know to say hi hello to them and you know just that’s our our uh our responsibility and I don’t want to you know to be boastful arrogant I want to stay humble because manipul has has nothing to do with you know I have no right to become boastful or arrogant because I came from nothing.

I I I I’m part of those people sleeping in the state. I love them. I love I I love them all, you know. I hope that one day they will experience a life like what I experienced. You know,  I’m going to get away from the boxing for just a second. Man, you love basketball. You play basketball. You watch basketball.

Where did your love for basketball come from?  Before boxing, basketball is basketball. I play in uh in our place because our house the small the small house like very small house and when you just 20 m is basketball court just 20 m basketball court beside the basketball court so like shooting the ball like the basketball we play basketball.

What kind of game do you have? What kind of basketball game do you have?  Five on five like you know.  No, no. I mean you a shooter. You like to drive? Do you foul a lot?  I’m shorter.  Do you foul?  Huh?  Do you foul people?  The hack. Do you f  sometimes?  Do you call it a foul? Cuz some guys foul. They say no, no, no.

It’s not a foul.  I I foul a lot. I I get a little physical.  Yeah,  a little bit. Me and Terence Crawford, we played and uh he’s worse than me, though. He’s worth he fouls a lot.  Really?  He be cheating. Yeah, he don’t want to admit it. He don’t want to He cheat. He He cheats a lot. But that’s another story for that.

But do you foul people when you play basketball?  Sometimes.  Sometimes. Sometimes if needed.  If needed.  Needed. Yeah. Yeah. But you  because I I play professional in in the  I know. I know. But you say you’re a shooter.  Yeah. I too.  Come on now. Come on. I like it.  Three-pointer.  I like it.

What What about What about your karaoke, man? Tell me about the karaoke. You love to do karaoke.  I used to sing. I used to sing before.  Yeah. Yeah, I used to sing before. I My my first album in the Philippines is uh Platinum.  You still like to sing?  No, before.  Uh now I I I love to sing, but uh praises and worship.  Yeah.

Tell me about your wife, Jeny, man. You’ve been with her your whole career. What has she meant to you? And how have you guys stayed together through all of the craziness that you’ve experienced? Uh we’ve been married with Jenki more than 25 years. So turning 26 years. Both 19 years old when we get married. Yeah. It’s like uh we came from you know before I you know that time I just I just became a champion.

I was uh because before I turn I turned to 19 I became a champion world champion. So I was 18 years old.  How rare is that though for somebody to stay with a fighter that long and then even after the career? Cuz sometimes fighters retire or basketball players retire and then they don’t they they they’re no longer married.

They get a divorce. You guys have stayed strong. What’s the secret?  Because I know how to value the family. I I I preach also. I share the gospel.  Yeah. I preach and my passion is marriage counseling.  Uh-huh. Really?  Really?  Yes.  Okay.  Marriage counseling.  Okay. That’s my my my my conviction. That’s my passion.