MANNY PACQUIAO JR made a successful amateur debut just six months after his dad’s retirement from boxing.
Manny Jr, nicknamed Jimuel, made his amateur bow on Saturday night against fellow rookie Andres Rosales at the House of Boxing Gym in San Diego.
And he showcased a stiff jab his old man would’ve been proud of in his first sanctioned bout.
Manny Jr, 21, landed several stinging overhand rights on Rosales but was unable to put him down.
Scorecards weren’t announced after the bout concluded, although the judges declared Pacquiao’s eldest child as the winner.
Proud dad Pacquiao took to social media after the contest, writing on Instagram: “Congratulations to my son @pacquiao.emmanuel on fighting and winning his first US amateur fight at junior welterweight!
“I’m so proud of you.”
Manny Jr was coached for his amateur debut by his dad’s former assistant, Marvin Somodio.
Somodio was impressed by the youngster’s display but believes there’s plenty of room for improvement.
He said: “This is only his first amateur fight but he showed me that he has heart. He’ll get better and stronger.”
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Manny Jr took up boxing after brief attempts at being a model and a social media influencer.
But his former eight-weight world champion dad didn’t want him stepping anywhere near a boxing gym.
In 2019, the pride of the Philippines said: “We are really discouraging him [from boxing]
“In our home, we don’t have any gloves or boxing equipment. But we have a basketball court.”
After years of taking lumps from some of the best fighters in the world, Pacman was left gutted when Manny Jr decided to follow in his footsteps.
He said: “It pains me to see him box because I know how hard it is.”
Manny Sr retired from boxing last September a month after suffering a unanimous decision defeat to WBA welterweight champ Yordenis Ugas.
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