MANILA — Manny Pacquiao can’t help but look back with regret at how recurring leg cramps affected his boxing career for the past two decades — a problem he now believes could have been avoided.
The eight-division world boxing champion revealed that he only recently discovered what might have been causing the persistent issue: excessive leg massages.
“Nabubugbog siyang masyado. Minamasahe siya umaga, tanghali, gabi. Bugbog masyado ‘yung muscles kaya siya nagka-cramps,” said the 46-year-old boxing icon.
Pacquiao, who is set to challenge WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios in Las Vegas on Sunday, said the cramps first began during his initial bout with Juan Manuel Marquez — and continued to bother him throughout his legendary career.
“Yung cramps ko sa paa I’ve been fighting for 20 years. Lumalaban ako parang dalawa yung kalaban ko – yung kalaban ko at yung cramps ko,” he said. “For 20 years, tsaka ko lang na-discover.”
He admitted the problem limited his footwork in several fights, most notably during his 2021 loss to Yordenis Ugas, where his legs failed to respond the way he needed them to.
“Ang ganda sana,” Pacquiao said, lamenting the chances he might have better seized had he not been hampered by cramps.
Now, he’s changed his approach. About a week before flying to Las Vegas, Pacquiao decided to significantly reduce his massage sessions, going from three times a day to just once a week.
“Kaya ang ginawa ko hindi na ako nagpapamasahe, like once a week na lang. So madalang na siya,” he explained. “Ang sarap na niyang igalaw. Yung reflexes ko sa paa, medyo mabilis na siya kasi hindi na siya nagka-cramps. Better na siya ngayon.”
It was a personal decision, one that came with a hint of frustration and hindsight.
Pacquiao, despite all his success, now wonders how much more he could have achieved had he found the answer sooner./PN
