Key Takeaways
- WBA Centennial Champion: Manny Pacquiao was awarded the one-time, non-contested Centennial Champion distinction by the World Boxing Association (WBA) during its 100th anniversary.1
- Rarest Legacy Club: Pacquiao is now the only fighter, besides Sugar Ray Robinson, to hold two major “Century-Level” honors from global boxing bodies (WBA Centennial Champion and WBC Fighter of the Century).
- Criteria for Honor: The WBA based the award on his eight-division world championships, victories across four decades, and significant global cultural and humanitarian impact outside the ring.
Manny Pacquiao has spent his entire career breaking records that were never supposed to be broken. But even in retirement the accolades keep coming and they are getting bigger. The World Boxing Association WBA has officially awarded him the Centennial Champion recognition a once in a hundred years honor given only during the organizations 100th anniversary.
With this award Pacquiao continues to build a legacy that now stretches beyond titles belts and big nights. He becomes one of the few fighters in history whose status as a living legend is certified by multiple sanctioning bodies through special permanent distinctions.
And when combined with his WBC Fighter of the Century award and his earlier global honors Pacquiaos legacy now reaches a level once reserved only for Sugar Ray Robinson.
A Centennial Champion A Once Per Century Honor
The WBAs Centennial Champion title is not a belt not a ranking position and not something that can ever be contested.
It is a lifetime distinction a permanent recognition given only to legendary figures who shaped the sport at the highest level.
During the WBAs centennial celebration the organization made it clear
“The Centennial Champion is a way to honor the legends of our sport and also to celebrate our 100 years of existence. Without a doubt Manny meets all the requirements to obtain this recognition that he will never lose.”
Pacquiao becomes the lone Filipino fighter to ever receive this award and among a very small group globally to be given a centennial level honor of any kind.
The WBA highlighted three core reasons for granting the distinction
His eight division world championships a feat still untouched.
His victories over the greats of his era across four decades.
His impact on culture global sport and his symbolic role for millions around the world.
A Fighter Who Carried the WBA Banner Across Generations
Pacquiaos relationship with the WBA spans some of the most important nights of his career. Titles he claimed under the WBA include
WBA Featherweight champion 2001 defeating Lehlo Ledwaba the fight that put him on the map.
WBA Super Welterweight regular champion.
WBA Welterweight super champion including his massive 2018 win over Lucas Matthysse in Malaysia where Pacquiao scored his final career knockout.
These championships were significant not just for the belts but for the eras they defined. Pacquiao was not just winning he was bringing the WBA to new audiences across Asia the Middle East and the United States mainstream market.
The WBA stated
“We are proud to give this distinction to a man who has managed to represent the black and gold colors with his impeccable career.”
A Legacy That Transcends the Ring
The WBA also emphasized Pacquiaos impact outside the squared circle something that few fighters in history can match
Humanitarian work in the Philippines
International diplomatic engagements
Philanthropic programs funded personally
A global inspirational presence across multiple cultures
This was a major factor in awarding the centennial honor. It is not only for boxing achievement but for global legacy and cultural influence.
Pacquiao is a boxer whose career is studied in gyms but whose life story is studied in classrooms.
Joining Sugar Ray Robinson as One of the Only Men to Hold Multiple Century Level Honors
When adding the WBA Centennial Champion title to his WBC Fighter of the Century distinction Pacquiao becomes the only fighter besides Sugar Ray Robinson to receive century level honors from more than one global governing body.
Robinson received his Fighter of the Century award from the Associated Press in 1999.
Pacquiaos century recognitions now include
WBA Centennial Champion
Together with his Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade awards Pacquiao now stands unquestionably as one of the two greatest legacy figures in the entire timeline of global boxing.
A club of exactly two and only two.
A Career Still Rewriting History
Even in retirement Pacquiaos impact on the sport continues to be measured studied and honored. Awards like these are not won in the ring they are earned through years of consistency sportsmanship and world changing influence.
From General Santos City to every corner of the boxing world Pacquiaos journey is now embedded into the sports centennial celebrations. The WBA did not simply honor a fighter they honored an era a symbol and a once in a lifetime story that transformed boxing forever.
The WBA has a century of champions in its archives.
Only one is its Centennial Champion.
Frequently Asked Questions About Manny Pacquiao’s Centennial Honor
The WBA Centennial Champion is a rare, lifetime distinction—not a belt or a rank—awarded by the World Boxing Association only once, during its 100th anniversary celebration. It is a permanent recognition given to a legendary figure whose career shaped the sport at the highest level and transcends boxing.
The honor is significant because it solidifies Pacquiao’s status as one of boxing’s greatest legacy figures. When combined with his earlier WBC Fighter of the Century award, he becomes the only boxer, other than Sugar Ray Robinson, to hold century-level honors from two separate global governing bodies.
The WBA highlighted three core reasons: his record-breaking eight-division world championships, his victories over the great fighters of his era across four different decades, and his immense impact on global sport, culture, and humanitarian work in the Philippines.
No. According to the WBA, the Centennial Champion title is a lifetime distinction and permanent recognition. It is not a contested title belt or a ranking position, and therefore, it can never be put at stake during a fight or taken away.
