Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao floored teenage social media star IShowSpeed in a friendly ‘spar’ contest in the Philippines on Thursday.
Pacquiao, 45, is the only eight-division world champion in boxing history and he won 12 major world titles during a record-breaking career.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Speed is a boxing novice, although he faced fellow content creator KSI in another sparring challenge in December last year.
Speed sparring with Manny Pacquiao 🤣 @ishowspeedsui pic.twitter.com/4FoukO63Ll
— Overtime (@overtime) September 12, 2024
That fight ended early with KSI refusing to complete the pre-agreed duration of six rounds as he seemingly did not want to hurt his tired opponent.
It was a similar story on Thursday as Pacquiao clearly held back his full power and avoided hitting Speed in the face.
Social media star IShowSpeed pictured (left) posting for a photo with Manny Pacquiao (right)
Speed pictured falling to the floor after a body shot from boxing legend Pacquiao on Thursday
Nineteen-year-old Speed was left flat on his back at the end of a friendly sparring session
Pacquiao, pictured in 2009 after knocking out Ricky Hatton, is one of the best boxers ever
However, ‘PacMan’ still managed to send Speed to the floor with a brutal counterpunch to the body after deliberately allowing the American to hit him with five consecutive shots.
While the fight with KSI was held in a ring, Speed’s clash with boxing royalty in the Philippines took place inside Pacquiao’s massive home.
It was still watched by a significant crowd, including members of Pacquiao’s family – as well as a huge streaming audience online.
Thursday’s sparring session lasted around three minutes and ended with Pacquiao – who was casually wearing sliders – helping Speed from the floor and then hugging him.
Filipino legend Pacquiao allowed Speed to hit him with five consecutive right-hand punches
But Pacquiao then responded with a sweet counter-punch, which signalled the end of the bout
Pacquiao helped Speed back to his feet before they shared a hug while both men smiled
The two men later sat down elsewhere in the house and ate balut – a popular Filipino delicacy consisting of fertilised chicken eggs that are eaten from the shells.
Pacquiao was a good sport and appeared to enjoy his time with Speed, although he looked slightly awkward when the American grabbed a microphone and began rapping towards the end of his visit.