Manny Pacquiao was 16 when he fought minutes after tragedy struck his close friend on the same card

Manny Pacquiao had his hand raised in heartbreaking circumstances 30 years ago today.

No discussion surrounding the all-time boxing greats can take place without mentioning Pacquiao, the only fighter in history to win twelve world titles across eight different weight divisions.

Before Pacquiao won his first world title in 1998 by coming from behind to knock out Chatchai Sasakul, ‘PacMan’ had begun to make a name for himself with an impressive early career run in his native Philippines.

And the future all-time great was not rising in the sport alone. He had his best friend Eugene Barutag by his side through nine professional fights, but tragedy struck when they shared a card in Manila three decades ago.

Manny Pacquiao won his tenth professional fight moments after his friend’s tragic death in the ring

Pacquiao’s tenth professional fight came on this day, December 9, in 1995. That date in the Filipino’s career stands out because of the tragic circumstances surrounding his win.

Minutes before Pacquiao beat Rolando Toyogon via unanimous decision, he watched on as one of his closest friends competed. Having escaped poverty as street kids in General Santos City and created new lives as boxers, Pacquiao and Barutag had vowed to support each other in their quests to forge successful careers in the ring.

At 16 years of age, Barutag fought veteran journeyman Randy Andagan on Pacquiao’s undercard 30 years ago. He was winning the bout but began to slow and eventually collapsed in his corner after multiple blows to the head.

At the time, there were no paramedics on standby in case of such an emergency. Officials were unable to revive Barutag, and Pacquiao described the heartbreaking moment when he held his friend in his arms backstage.

“He was my close friend. I feel so bad,” Pacquiao said (h/t The Courier Mail).

“I was saying to him, ‘Come on, you can make it,’ but his eyes looked straight ahead and he was not breathing anymore.”

Following that horrific personal loss at the age of 16, Pacquiao continued fighting in Barutag’s honor.

“Even though my friend died, I promised him that I would continue our dream and become a champion to honour him.

“I want to encourage people to fight on no matter what their circumstances in life.”

It is safe to say that Pacquiao has done his late friend proud, having gone on to become one of the most successful boxing legends in history.

And after establishing himself as one of his country’s leading political figures, Pacquiao created a bill in 2017 to establish a Philippines Boxing Commission to regulate the sport and introduce proper medical checks.