Pacquiao sets record as only active Hall of Famer

The only man to win world titles in eight divisions continues to make boxing history.

- By JOAQUIN HENSON

Last Sunday, Manny Pacquiao was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, and is the only active fighter in the honor roll that lists 155 stars in the modern category where the eligibility requirement is a retirement or inactivity of at least three years with the last bout no earlier than 1989.

When Pacquiao was voted a first ballot inductee last December, he had not fought since 2021. Pacquiao announced his comeback five months later to face WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios on July 19. Sugar Ray Leonard was a similar case. He was voted in January 1997, un-retired to fight in March and was inducted in June so technically, wasn't yet a Hall of Famer on his comeback.