PACQUIAO IN FINALS OF ESPN STAR SPORTS ?CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS?
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 24 Dec 2008
Filipino boxing idol and national treasure Manny Pacquiao has overwhelmed one of the all-time cricketing greats, Sachin ?The Little Master? Tendulkar of India in the semi finals of ESPN Star Sports ?Champion of Champions? online pool and will now face-off with Malaysia?s Nicol David in the finals.
ESPN Star Sports profile on the squash player said ?Malaysia?s Nicol is the World number 1 ranked squash player and the first Asian to top the sport?s rankings. She is the current World Open and British Open Champion having won both of those prizes in 2005 and 2006 as well. In July, Nicol David was among 497 honoured in conjunction with the 70th birthday of the Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas. The Penang-born Nicol, became the youngest person from the Malaysian island to be conferred a Datukship.?
Pacquiao, on the other hand, is acknowledged as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world today and the greatest Asian boxer of all-time. He has won four world titles and a fifth Ring Magazine title when he demolished Marco Antonio Barrera, one of many Mexican legends he has beaten.
In his latest fight Pacquiao demolished the ?Golden Boy? Oscar De La Hoya in eight rounds, easily winning a fight that most boxers, boxing writers and experts said he didn?t have a chance of winning a bout that was referred to as a terrible mismatch.
One of the largest pay-per-view audiences with 1.4 million buys and a jam-packed MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas testified to Pacquiao?s popularity who has, since his smashing victory over De La Hoya been named the ?World Boxer of the Year? by the premier world organization, the WBC as well as the prestigious Sports Illustrated magazine.
Prior to leaving for Los Angeles with his three children to join his wife Jinkee who is expecting their fourth child shortly and to spend Christmas together, Pacquiao was conferred the ?Legion of Honor? during the 73rd Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
We were informed of Pacquiao?s victory over Tendulkar by the Senior Manager of Corporate Communications of ESPN Star Sports in Kua?s response to our column on the ?Champion of Champions? in Tuesday?s issue of The Manila Standard.
While thanking us for our comments Kua said ?The initiative, led by ESPN STAR Sports? website www.espnstar.com in conjunction with Asia?s most popular sports news show SportsCenter, invites sports fans across Asia to single out the year?s sports personality of the year, with the aim to garner public opinion to determine the individual who has gone beyond achievements and new levels of excellence to leave his mark on sports fans in 2008.
The Champion of Champions will be chosen from a list of 16, which was pre-determined by fans across the region through forums. The list includes top athletes from around the world, and every member of this elite list has had a massive impact on the sporting world this year, and this initiative aims to celebrate their success.
You may be glad to know that we have just concluded the semi-final stage of the event, and Manny Pacquiao has just advanced to the final against Nicol David from Malaysia . Members of the public can start voting and will end on 30 December.
We look forward to your continued support, and hope you?ll join us as we unveil the Champion of Champions on 31 December 2008.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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