Ring Magazine featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who last year was honored by a worldwide HBO poll as Fighter of the Year for his devastating 11th round victory over legendary Mexican featherweight Marco Antonio Barrera, has again won international recognition this year.
Two well-known boxing websites have cited the flamboyant Filipino southpaw for his performance this year.
Pacquiao?s dramatic showdown with World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez last May was chosen by Max Boxing as no. 2 in the Fight of the Year category with the honor deservedly going to the Barrera-Erik Morales III encounter, which Barrera won in a 12-round war described as ?a fight for the ages.?
In selecting the Pacquiao-Marquez controversial draw as the second choice, Max Boxing?s Steve Kim said: ?This nearly became one of the most stunning blowouts in recent memory, when ?The Pac Man? sent Marquez to the canvas three times in the opening frame.
?But somehow, Marquez would find enough resolve to pick himself off the floor, dust himself off and proceed to win the majority of the following rounds, using his precise boxing skills. In a fight filled with momentum shifts, nothing was settled as the bout was declared a draw. We still don?t know who is the game?s best featherweight.?
However, the widely read website Boxing Talk had no doubts as it unveiled its first set of ratings for 2005 and for the first time, crowned world champions in seven weight classes, including naming Pacquiao as featherweight champion, an honor bestowed on the Filipino by the ?Bible of Boxing? Ring Magazine following Pacquiao?s annihilation of Barrera on Nov. 15, 2003 in San Antonio, Texas.
The others named by Boxing Talk were Glen Johnson, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Cory Spinks, Kostya Tszyu and Barrera.
In naming the seven, Scott Schaffer and Greg Leon said: ?Boxing Talk went through each and every weight class and decided to honor those worthy boxers, who undisputably, rule their weight classes.?
