LAST year he became an eight-division world champion, further reinforcing his billing as the world?s top pound-for-pound boxer. He made it to CNN?s “Top 20 Stories That Changed Our World in 2010.” To top it all, he was elected congressman of Sarangani Province. Truly, the year 2010 was the Year of Manny Pacquiao.
Aside from soundly beating Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao, in the words of Yahoo! Sports columnist Kevin Iole, “transcended the sporting world in many ways.” Iole reported The People?s Champ has become the most beloved (boxer) since Muhammad Ali. Aside from winning a seat in the Philippine Congress, he was featured in the popular show ?60 Minutes,? became the in-flight magazine cover story of American Airways, was chosen as endorser for Sen. Harry Reid?s re-election bid and has awakened the sleeping US boxing media.
The Pambansang Kamao has truly brought life back to boxing, becoming one of the most watched boxers of his time. More than 50,000 fans trooped to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium for his fight against Clottey last March 2010, the biggest fight crowd in the United States in 17 years.
Pacquiao also received his third Fighter of the Year award as well as the Fighter of the Decade award from the Boxing Writers Association of America. He was also awarded the 2010 Congressional Medal of Achievement/Honor, was chosen by Bleacher Report as one of 2010?s Most Exciting Athletes of All Time, and was named the 2010 World Boxing Organization Fighter of the Year.
Pacquiao?s rise made it as Sports Illustrated?s No. 1 boxing story for 2010. Sportsmanila.Net named him the No. 1 Sports Icon of the Philippines. The Atlantic.com featured Pacquiao in its Top 10 sports stories of 2010 while Bleacher Report included him in the Top 50 boxers of all time. Yahoo! Sports also ranked him as one of Boxing?s Most Influential. He is also one of the 12 nominees for the 2010 United States Sports Academy Male Athlete of the Year.
Yet behind all the accolade, fame and fortune, Pacquiao was hounded by several scandals, one of them his rumored affair with Wapakman co-star Krista Ranillo. The issue blazed like wildfire and almost ended his marriage.
The king of boxing is also facing issues with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He paid taxes amounting to $168,918 in 2009, compared to $2.8 million in 2008. He reportedly earned around $34 million in 2009.
Pacquiao obviously needs to take better care of his image and reputation. He is known as a gentleman, a devout Catholic, a good son and a generous person. They say he is kind-hearted, to a fault. He is reportedly surrounded with people who either take advantage of him or use his name for personal perks.
During his fight against Clottey, Top Rank officials reportedly caught two Filipinos who faked accreditation passes that were reportedly sold for $150 each. Even worse were reports there were six unidentified Filipino journalists who secured approval from Top Rank as official media representatives of philboxing.com. The website later denied knowing the six.
Even Pacquiao?s after-fight concerts have been criticized as a money-making ploy, with tickets selling for $100 per head. It is clear some people surrounding Pacquiao are taking advantage of him, leading a sports analyst to comment it?s time to professionalize Team Pacquiao.
Members of Team Pacquiao should not hoard tickets and resell them outside the fight venues like scalpers do. Even complimentary tickets should not be sold by people in his entourage.
Even the persons in charge of the transportation of media people and others should be trained to accommodate those who are on official business during Pacquiao fights. Many politicians reportedly ask for and are given free rides, bumping off media personnel in the process.
Pacquiao, being a highly sought-after endorser, should enlist an international PR person or agency for his endorsements and bookings in the United States, Canada and Europe. He needs to hire a point person for his invitations all over the world, as it is clear his adviser, Michale Koncz, cannot handle all the details. Even small details like autograph signing sessions should be well-organized and handled by qualified personnel.
There should be limits and standards in books written about Pacquiao, especially his biography. So far, two books about his life have been released. Sad to say, they are both of low quality in terms of content.
Pacquiao?s wife, Jinkee, a celebrity on her own, likewise needs a PR expert to build up her image not only as the wife of Manny but as a woman of beauty and substance.
Pacquiao is set to fight Shane Mosley on May 7 (May 8 in the Philippines). A fight with undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., a bout the whole world is waiting for, is also a possibility. He also needs to concentrate on his job as a Congressman and attend to his various business ventures, endorsements, showbiz career and family.
Will we see a transformed Pacquiao this year? We?re all hoping for the best.
