“We’re expecting more”: Manny Pacquiao on son’s Jimuel’s draw in professional boxing debut

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s eldest son, Emmanuel “Jimuel” Pacquiao Jr., made his professional boxing debut on Sunday, November 30 (Philippine Standard Time), facing fellow debutant Brendan Lally in a four-round lightweight bout at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

The fight ended in a draw, with one judge scoring 39-37 in favor of Jimuel and the other two scoring it 38-38.

Despite the official result, observers noted that the scorecards did not fully reflect the fight’s dynamics. Lally appeared to have the upper hand for much of the bout, using his height and reach advantage to push Jimuel to the ropes, particularly in the final two rounds. Jimuel was often on the defensive, leaving his mother visibly anxious by the final bell.

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“Next time I fight, I’m going to push the pace much harder. I’m happy I was able to experience this. Fighting as an amateur is a different experience than fighting professionally. I only had ten amateur fights, so this was a huge step up,” Jimuel said after the fight.

🥊 “He can fight again! But I have to make sure that I’m supervising his training! I don’t want to make that happen again, he needs to improve more instinct.”- Manny Pacquiao

-Manny reacts to his son draw vs Lally pic.twitter.com/d7HShJtngN

— Fight Hub TV (@FightHubTV) November 30, 2025

Manny Pacquiao watched his son from ringside and expressed pride while also noting there was room for improvement.

“I’m very proud of my son. He did well for his first fight. For me, I am satisfied with his performance although we are expecting more. It’s a good experience for him to have a fight like that. I told him it’s easy,” Manny said.

“Ahead of time, I told him professional fight is different from the amateurs, different from sparring and training. I can’t explain my feelings. I just sat there quietly, but I wanted to shout and give him instructions. But I know he wouldn’t hear me.

“I’m sure he learned a lot from this first fight. I always told him boxing is not easy. You got to work hard and sacrifice more than you thought. My plan is to have him fight on my undercard so I can train with him throughout the whole camp,” he added.

The 24-year-old began his amateur career in March 2022 and compiled a 6-4 record before turning professional. The bout against Lally was part of Manny Pacquiao’s first boxing card in the United States under his MP Promotions banner and came less than two weeks after Jimuel’s fiancée gave birth to their first child, a daughter.

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