Manny Pacquiao explains how much he earned from one of his first boxing matches

Pacquiao explained: “I was almost 12 years old around that time. There was a boxing match every Sunday in the park, which is a program of the government.”

He said that once he heard there was prize money involved in these events, it caught his attention.

“The prize money, do you know how much the prize money [was]? Like, when you lost, [you got] $1. When you win, [you got] $2,” Pacquiao recalled.

Back then he had no real training or understanding of boxing rules. He even remembered being told not to kick during those early matches.

Manny Pacquiao recalls the small prize money he fought for as a child

Though Pacquiao later became one of boxing’s most recognisable faces, his rise began far from the sport’s bright lights. He often speaks about his tough upbringing and how he used boxing to help support his family.

Speaking to Andre Ward in association with All The Smoke Fight, Pacquiao recalled competing in boxing competitions in his local park.

Ward said to Pacquiao, “I remember the story about you being 12 years old, and doing street fighting in General Santos City, for low money, just a few pesos.”

Pacquiao replied: “I was almost 12 years old around that time. There was a boxing match every Sunday in the park, which is a program of the government.”

Pacquiao went on to say that when he heard there was prize money involved in the local park fights, he wanted to take part. He explained: “The prize money, do you know how much the prize money [was]? Like when you lost [you got] $1. When you win [you got] $2.”

The fighter then went on to say that he wasn’t familiar with boxing at all, to the point where he was told he wasn’t allowed to kick.

The multi-weight world champion said that when he heard there was prize money involved in the boxing in the park, he became interested.

Pacquiao’s biggest payday came against Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao ended up earning far more than $2 per fight as his career developed. His biggest payday came against Mayweather Jr., who has since been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The former WBA champion earned an estimated $120 million while Mayweather reportedly took home around $180 million. Both fighters were also guaranteed percentages from pay-per-view sales.