Manny Pacquiao is said to have taught himself piano. Photo / Getty Images
Ahead of next weekend's 'fight of the century' between the Philippines' Manny Pacquiao and America's Floyd Mayweather - the richest bout in the history of boxing - Gareth A. Davies of the Daily Telegraph reveals 24 things you didn't know about Pacquiao.
1. Pacquiao grew up with his family in a shanty town, sleeping on cardboard boxes. His father, Rosalio Pacquiao, was a farmhand. His mother, Dionisia Dapigaran, a deeply religious woman, had a number of odd jobs.
2. Pacquiao's mother is so religious she wanted Manny to become a priest.
3. Pacquiao often bunked elementary school to work in a laundry to help his mother make ends meet.
4. Aged 12, he ran away from home. After having brought home a stray dog, he was in trouble with his father, who had been drinking and was deeply angry. To punish Manny, his father cooked and ate the dog. Today, he has an obese Jack Russell Terrier, called 'PacMan'. "The dog would be happy if it died running with him," one of his entourage told me.
5. Pacquiao ran away to Manila after the fall out with his father. It meant stowing away on a boat in a 500-mile voyage. His new life, living on the streets of Manila, saw him find jobs as a gardener and a construction worker.
6. Pacquiao was so scrawny early in his career, several promoters in the early days told him he was too small to be a boxer. So he put rocks in his pockets for weigh-ins.
7. Pacquiao turned professional at 17, and became a rising star on a televised weekly boxing show in the Philippines called 'Blow by Blow' because of his desire to brawl. At the time, he was earning about $2 per fight. He sent half of that home to his mother.
8. He lost his 12th pro fight, knocked out in the third round by Rustico Torrecampo. As BoxRec records, however, replay of the fight clearly shows Pacquiao being knocked out due to accidental collision of his head and Rustico's shoulder. Not by a body punch, as was reported.
9. Aged 19, he won the WBC flyweight belt in Thailand, against Chatchai Sasakul, in December 1998.
10. There are world titles in his trophy cabinet at flyweight, super-bantamweight, featherweight, super-featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and light-middleweight.
11. Being the most famous Filipino alive brings responsibilities. And that has even meant appearing in films and television series in his homeland. He has appeared in several movies including roles as a rebel commander, as "Pacman", a superhero, in a red costume, fighting crime. He is happy to send himself up.
12. He's a decent chess player.
13. He carried the flag for his country at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
14. Pacquiao keeps a Bible with him in training camp at all times. Reportedly, the pages are littered with pink highlighting.
15. After weigh-ins for his fights, Buboy Fernandez, Pacquiao's cornerman, always brings him beef broth and warm milk.
16. Pacquiao and Jinkee, his wife, have five children.
17. When Pacquiao fights the crime rate drops and an unofficial truce is declared in the war-torn south as 107 million Filipinos focus on the man known as 'The National Fist'.
18. Pacquiao is widely expected to run for President when he retires.
19. He taught himself the piano.
20. He is the shortest man to play professional basketball in the Philippines.
21. He has his own brand of dartboards and darts. It was the one thing he was beaten at by Ricky Hatton, in a Manchester pub.
22. He really does think he can sing. He released a single called 'Sometimes When We Touch' in the Philippines.
23. He is being investigated by the Filipino and American tax authorities for many millions in alleged unpaid taxes. His lawyers dispute this, saying that he is being asked to pay double tax - in the US and the Philippines.
24. When tropical storm Sendong hit Mindanao in 2011, attention turned to "the single biggest one-man charity institution in the country." There is a welfare state in the Philippines. It is referred to as Manny Pacquiao, because he gives so many donations to worthy causes.