PACQUIAO A CINCH FOR ‘FIGHTER OF THE YEAR’ AWARD
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 25 Nov 2009
The acknowledged “Hero of Asia” and reigning pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao is a cinch to win the coveted award as “Fighter of the Year” from the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America.
BWAA president Jack Hirsch informed www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports that although the boxing writers will not be voting for the 2009 awards for a few weeks yet, “it is safe to assume Manny Pacquiao will be the Fighter of the Year.”
Hirsch pointed out that it will be the third time for Pacquiao who carved his name in the record books by winning seven world titles in seven different weight division with his 12th round TKO victory over WBO welterweight
champion Miguel Cotto last November 14 before a sell-out crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
He said Pacquiao, with his third award, would tie the record set by “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali and another heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield.
Pacquiao first won in 2006 and then again last year when he beat Juan Manuel Marquez by a split decision to win the WBC super featherweight title, ripped WBC lightweight champion David Diaz apart in nine rounds and pulverized Oscar De La Hoya into retirement after “The Golden Boy” called it quits before the start of the eighth round.
Hirsch told us that celebrated trainer Freddie Roach has “a good chance of being the ‘Trainer of the Year’ again but is not a sure thing like Manny.”
The BWAA president said that “just because Pacquiao wins it does not mean that Roach automatically does as well” although aside from Pacquiao, Roach helped turn around the career of Britain’s Amir Khan after a stunning first round knockout by Breidis Prescott.
Roach trained Khan at his Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles and prepared him for his impressive 5th round unanimous technical decision over Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera followed by his WBA world super lightweight title victory over Andreas Kotelnik.
Hirsch who was in Las Vegas for the Pacquiao-Cotto “Fire Power” showdown said Pacquiao “looked great.”
Asked whether the Filipino southpaw could beat undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr should they face each other sometime this year Hirsch replied “of course, but I am not sure if he will. That is the type of fight that needs to be analyzed carefully before a prediction can be made.”
Pacquiao first won the Edward J. Neil Trophy for “Fighter of the Year” in a landslide vote for his exploits in 2006.
Dennis Nolan of Boxing Collectors News described Pacquiao as “a two-fisted dynamo from the Philippines who has established himself as one of the world’s top pound-for-pound gladiators as well as one of the most exciting performers in the sport.”
Nolan said Pacquiao “ captured the imagination of the boxing public with his scintillating, go-for-broke attacks. His three victories in 2006 were against top-quality opponents. He twice defeated Mexican superstar Erik Morales, stopping him inside 10 rounds and again, much more dramatically, inside three, and former super bantamweight champ Oscar Larios on a 12-round unanimous decision. Pacquiao's domination in these fights -- a great year in any era -- established his reputation as one of the truly elite fighters in the world”
The awards last year were held, significantly, on June 12, Philippine Independence Day and was highlighted by the presence of Pacquiao who traveled all the way from the Philippines to receive the 2008 “Fighter of the Year” award following reports prior to the dinner that he would not attend.
The BWAA said “the bottom line is he did” and in addition "delivered an eloquent speech, thanking the BWAA and those closest to him.”
It was Pacquiao’s second BWAA “Fighter of the Year” award and Hirsch told us then, that Pacquiao appeared headed for a third award following his sensational second round knockout of IBO light welterweight champion Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton last May 2.
His remarkable demolition of Cotto left no doubt that Pacquiao would win the award and reinforce his place as one of the all-time boxing greats.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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