PACQUIAO THRILLED TO RECEIVE 'FIGHTER OF THE YEAR' AWARD FROM JOE FRAZIER
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 03 Jun 2010
Joe Frazier.
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao was thrilled on learning that former world heavyweight champion ?Smokin? Joe Frazier will present him with the ?Fighter of the Year? award of the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America at a gala awards dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York on Friday.
When we informed Pacquiao who was with his adviser Michael Koncz when we called, hadn?t been informed that Frazier who figured in one of the greatest heavyweight battles of all-time against Muhammad Ali in the memorable ?Thrilla in Manila? on October 1, 1975 had been chosen to present the ?Fighter of the Year? award to Pacquiao, his third in the past four years.
Pacquiao said ?It?s a great privilege and an honor to have somebody of that caliber, a former heavyweight champion of his stature present him with the trophy.?
Pacquiao who established a record of winning seven titles in seven different weight divisions will also receive the ?Fighter of the Decade? award at the ceremony which is expected to draw a big crowd, many of them Filipinos to whom Pacquiao is effectively a national treasure.
BWAA president Jack Hirsch had previously told us that Pacquiao won the ?Fighter of the Decade? poll among the members of the Boxing Writers Association of the Philippines by an overwhelming 2-to-1 margin over Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Koncz informed us that Pacquiao would attend the event at which Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who is unquestionably the leading boxing promoter in the world will receive an award on Thursday (New York Time) and will also be at special ringside for the Yuri Foreman ? Miguel Cotto WBA light middleweight title fight at Yankee Stadium on Saturday (Sunday in Manila.)
Koncz said Pacquiao, his wife Jinkee and their kids would leave for a vacation in Mexico on Monday before returning home to prepare for his oath-taking as congressman from Sarangani on June 30 and his work in the House of Representatives.
Pacquiao, his wife Jinkee, Bob Arum and members of Pacquiao?s entourage will attend the dinner along with ?Trainer of the Year? Freddie Roach who also wins the award for the third time.
It was clear that like BWAA president Hirsch had told us Pacquiao was ?excited about the event? and perhaps even more excited to receive the award from Frazier.
Hirsh also noted that it is ?extra special for him (Pacquiao) being both ?Fighter of the Year? and ?Fighter of the Decade.?
The respected BWAA president informed us that it was 38 years ago, at the same hotel, the Roosevelt, that Frazier received his ?Fighter of the Year? award from the BWAA for defeating Muhammad Ali who had come out of forced retirement because of the draft issue and lost a unanimous decision over 15 rounds in a terrific battle at New York?s famed Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971. That fight is best remembered for the 15th and final round in which Frazier dropped Ali with a tremendous left hook and retained his WBC and WBA heavyweight titles by a unanimous decision.
Ali won their rematch at the same venue to grab the North American Boxing Federation title over 12 rounds on January 20, 1974 and in a third fight Ali scored a sensational 14th round stoppage when over Frazier didn?t come out of the 15th round in the memorable ?Thrilla in Manila? at the Araneta Coliseum, the ?Mecca of Philippine sports and entertainment? on October 1, 1975.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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