Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Pacquiao named Fighter of the Year

Manny Pacquiao is now in the company of the all-time greats.

The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named Pacquiao as recipient of the 2009 Fighter of the Year award last Monday, making him one of only five three-time winners of the coveted trophy.

Other three-time winners of the award include Muhammad Ali (1965, 1974 and 1975), Joe Frazier (1969, 1971 and 1975), Sugar Ray Leonard (1976, 1979 and 1981), and Evander Holyfield (1990, 1996 and 1997).

Pacquiao, who had also been awarded the same accolade in 2006 and 2008, was also voted Fighter of the Decade (2000-2009) by the BWAA, while the Filipino’s strategist Freddie Roach also was picked Trainer of the Year for a record fourth time after winning it in 2003 2006 and 2008.

In being named Fighter of the Decade, Pacquiao edged Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins of the US, Joe Calzaghe of Great Britain, and Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico.

Pacquiao was a hands-down choice for the 2009 award as he was in 2008 for his sensational wins over British Ricky Hatton and Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto.

Hatton went down in less than two rounds on May 2, while Cotto was stopped in the 12th round on November 14.

The 85th BWAA awards night will be held on June 11 in New York on the eve of a major card being put up by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. at the Madison Square Garden.

There is no other Fighter of the Year winner from Asia in the history of the BWAA, a group comprised of many of America’s premier sportswriters including Dave Anderson, William Nack, Thomas Hauser, Tim Dahlberg, and Bill Dwyre.

The Ring magazine, regarded as the Bible of Boxing, also named Pacquiao as its choice for Boxer of the Decade (2000-2009) in its March 2010 issue that hit the streets a couple of weeks ago.


Source: mb.com.ph

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