PACQUIAO HAPPY THAT MARTINEZ WON ?FIGHTER OF THE YEAR? AWARD
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 25 Jan 2011
Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao who was voted ?Fighter of the Year? for the third time last year as well as ?Fighter of the Decade? by the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America says he is ?happy that Sergio Martinez won the award this year.?
Pacquiao told the Inquirer ?its much better that we have someone else winning the award. I?m happy because it's not nice if we win it all the time. We need to give others a chance. I am happy for him.?
Pacquiao who is known for his graciousness and humility said ?I have no problem at all. It's not that I am tired of winning awards but at least others also get a chance to win ?Fighter of the Year?.
A national sporting hero in the Philippines and the fighter Top Rank promoter Bob Arum describes as a crossover star, Pacquiao said the choice of Martinez was ?good for the sport.?
Pacquiao said his concern has always been ?not only to win my fights but to make the fans happy, to have them satisfied with the result and my performance. I don?t want to disappoint them no matter who I face. I don?t just think about myself, I think of others. This is boxing. This is a sport and we have to do our best to make the fans happy.?
Having won eight world titles in eight different weight divisions Pacquiao, considered by many as one of the greatest fighter of all-time said he wants ?to continue to raise our country?s flag.?
Asked about Arum?s statement that he would fight for three more years and possibly six fights Pacquiao said ?you never know. It's hard to say right now.?
He also took the opportunity to get across the message that Shane Mosley whom he fights on May 7 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is no pushover. Pacquiao said if you compare Mosley to fighters like Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto, Mosley ?is more experienced in boxing than anybody.?
Pacquiao said Mosley fought as an amateur for many years and represented the United States in the Olympic Games and he?s had a long experience as a fighter. He recalled that Mosley knocked out Margarito and almost knocked out Floyd Mayweather Jr in the second round of their fight and could have finished him off.
Reacting to promoter Don King?s statement that should Devon Alexander beat Timothy Bradley in their upcoming showdown Pacquiao should fight Alexander, the pound-for-pound king remarked , ?I have no problem with fighting anybody. If we need to give them a chance to fight me it's okay because if you are a real champion, a real fighter you don?t pick and choose your opponents.?
He said while he has heard criticism about the choice of Mosley as his next opponent and that it should be an easy fight, Pacquiao said ?I don?t want to think that way or put that in my mind because I may get overconfident in my training and preparation for the fight and could lose. It's important to maintain my focus because people always expect me to win and that puts pressure on me.? He described Mosley as ?a nice guy but when we enter the ring it's nothing personal.?
Pacquiao said he will train for one month in Baguio City and spend the next four weeks training at Freddie Roach?s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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