WASHINGTON, D.C.: Already considered the best Asian boxing ever, Filipino superstar Manny ?PacMan? Pacquiao has earned his place among the world?s elite prizefighters, according to ring pundits.
Kevin Iole, Yahoo Sports top boxing analyst, said Pacquiao?s amazing domination of 10-time world champion Oscar de la Hoya last weekend ?convinced me beyond any doubt that he is the No. 1 boxer in the world.?
Pacquiao, called ?PacMan? by his legions of fans worldwide, returned to a riotous welcome to his native General Santos City in central Mindanao on Friday. As he stepped out of a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila around 9:15 a.m., his fans and other well-wishers, including local officials, cheered wildly.
He arrived at the General Santos City International Airport with his younger brothers Bobby and Ruel and the entire ?PacMan Team? six days after he destroyed Oscar ?Golden Boy? de la Hoya in eight rounds in their welterweight ?Dream Match? in Las Vegas.
In acclaiming Pacquiao, Iole wrote in his highly popular Yahoo weekly mailbag that when the Filipino boxing icon retires from the ring, he is a cinch among the great boxers of all time.
?I think when Pacquiao?s done, he has a chance to be remembered as a Top 100 pound-for-pound fighter,? he said.
This elite company, Iole added, includes Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Joe Louis, Harry Greb, Muhammad Ali, Benny Leonard, Willie Pep, Sam Langford, Archie Moore, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Barney Ross, Mickey Walker, Barney Ross, Roberto Duran, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Stanley Ketchel, Charlie Burley, Jose Napoles, Larry Holmes, Tony Canzoneri, Ike Williams and Aaron Pryor.
Mayweather prediction
He predicted that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would come out of retirement to fight Pacquiao in a huge clash of pound-for-pound champions, saying that PacMan?s stature allows him to choose his opponents from among the very best in the field.
?There are a ton of great fights for him there, including Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez,? Iole said. ?But he?ll be able to pick and choose bouts from 135 through 147, opening a lot of possibilities for him.?
He added that another potential future opponent for Pacquiao, a world champion in four different weight classes, is Edwin Valero, who is reported to be making great progress working with trainer Kenny Adams.
But Iole said it would not be advisable for Pacquiao to fight the big welterweights, among Mexican Antonio Margarito and Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto, because of the size and strength factors.
Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach ruled out PacMan taking on either Margarito or Cotto.
?Manny fighting Margarito or Cotto? No way,? Roach said. ?I?m a brave man, but I?m not dumb.?
Homecoming
In General Santos City, Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. led top local government officials and a huge crowd in welcoming Pacquiao, citing him for continuously bringing honor and fame to the city.
During a press conference held shortly after his arrival, Pacquiao repeatedly declined to talk about politics and his supposed retirement from boxing, but instead urged Filipinos to unite and give peace a chance.
?The elections are still several months away and I think there is no need to talk about them yet,? he said, apparently referring to the national polls scheduled for 2010.
Pacquiao denied that he was planning on retirement from the ring.
?Absolutely not. I am not retiring. What I can assure you is that I?m always ready to fight either Ricky Hatton or Floyd Mayweather Jr., because we are a nation without fear,? he said.
Talks about his supposed retirement were said to have been fueled by his supposed filing for residency in Kiamba town on December 17, his 30th birthday.
Michael Cons, a close Pacquiao adviser, during the press conference apologized for having doubted that PacMan would beat de la Hoya.
Reynaldo Constantino, Pacquiao?s spokesman for political affairs, said Pacquiao was expected to attend two parties to be thrown in his honor in Malungon town of Sarangani province and in General Santos City.
