It had the makings of a suspense thriller, whether Manny Pacquiao — still considered the International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight champ — would finally grace the awards night of the Philippine Sportswriters? Association (PSA) Friday. He had agreed to come, but no one refused to second guess until the man with the most devastating left fist this side of the planet sat himself five chairs across bowling World Cup champion CJ Suarez, the year?s other Athlete of the Year.
And Pacquiao did come. Wearing a dark gray suit that fell handsomely along the contours of his 126-lb frame on top of beige long sleeves, Pacquiao still exuded the same aura of power and charisma that he had only previously shown inside the ring.
As proven Friday, the allure of Pacquiao has crossed over away from the stench of sweat and the gore of blood and into the glitz and glum that goes with his status of national icon.
