Sports Illustrated and Ring Magazine, two of the most authoritative and most respected sports magazines in the US, have chosen Filipino icon Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao ?Fighter of the Year? and the No.1 pound-for-pound boxer of the world.
Pacquiao, a world champion in five different weight classes (including The Ring?s featherweight belt), cemented his hold as the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world for 263 straight weeks.
Considered ?The Bible of Boxing,? Ring Magazine?s editorial board draws up what the sport considers the most authoritative pound-for-pound best listing with the help of reputable boxing experts from around the world.
Trailing Pacquaio in the top-10 mythical list are Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, Joe Calzaghe of Wales, Bernard Hopkins of the US, Israel Vazquez of Mexico, Antonio Margarito of Mexico, Rafael Marquez of Mexico, Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, Ivan Calderon of Puerto Rico and Ricky Hatton of England.
The weekly Sports Illustrated (SI) meanwhile, voted ?PacMan? as the finest fighter for 2008 on the basis of his sterling wins over World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion Marquez, followed three months later by a dominating knockout victory over WBC lightweight titlist David Diaz, and capped by his December 6 demolition of 10-time world champion Oscar De La Hoya.
?In boxing, greatness is measured in moments. And in 2008, Manny Pacquiao had a whole lot of them,? the leading weekly sports magazine said. ?There was the brutal, 36-minute war Pacquiao waged with Juan Manuel Marquez last March?a fight that ended with a bloodied and battered Pacquiao raising his hands and an even bloodier and more battered Marquez sulking in his corner.?
?There were the nine rounds of torture Pacquiao inflicted on David Diaz in June, which came to a merciful conclusion only when a broken Diaz could not rise after a whirlwind Pacquiao attack in the ninth round.
?And, of course, there was the bell-to-bell, post-to-post beating of Oscar De La Hoya, boxing?s franchise player whose career may have ended at Pac?quiao?s furious fists. For these reasons and more, Manny Pacquiao is SI.com?s Fighter of the Year,? the magazine said.
Other fighters
Other outstanding fighters considered for the award included Paul Williams, who won fights in three different weight classes and claimed world titles in two; and Antonio Margarito, who established himself as the ?most fearsome? fighter in the sport for the way he ?broke Miguel Cotto?s spirit on his way to breaking his body.?
While the accomplishments Williams and Margarito in 2008 were laudable, Sports Illustrated reported they ?pale in comparison to Pacquiao, who, simply put, had arguably the greatest year of anyone in sports.?
?He accomplished so much and he did it with the style and grace that befits a true champion. Whether he was passing out turkeys to the underprivileged in Los Angeles or cold cash to his adoring fans in the Philippines, Pacquiao became the best ambassador boxing could ever hope for in 2008, as dangerous in the ring as he is benevolent out of it,? said Sports Illustrated, an affiliate of media giant Time Warner Group.
The magazine predicted the honor could be the prelude to ?a potentially electrifying? 2009 schedule?which could feature Pacquiao taking on the equally entertaining Ricky Hatton before a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. to determine, once and for all, who is this generation?s pound-for-pound king.
?We could be handing Pacquiao this same award next year. And if we do, like this year, I have no doubt it will be well deserved,? it added.
