The prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America has named pound-for-pound king and Filipino boxing hero Manny Pacquiao as the 2009 “Fighter of the Year” and capped the choice by also naming the superstar of the sport as the “Fighter of the Decade”
effectively silencing the few who have dared to slander him and
question his achievements in the ring by alleging he is on performance
enhancing drugs without providing a shred of evidence. Pacquiao was
earlier named "Fighter of the Year" for 2009 by both Ring Magazine and
ESPN. Pacquiao continued his sensational winning streak by scoring a
devastating 2nd round knockout over IBO light welterweight champion
Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton last May following on his pulverization of
Oscar De La Hoya in eight rounds in December 2008 and then capped his
run with a pounding of Miguel Cotto to win the WBO welterweight title
by a 12th round TKO last November In the process Pacquiao won a
record-breaking seven world titles in seven different weight divisions
and has emerged as a genuine contender for the unofficial accolade of
the “Greatest Fighter of All-Time” alongside such illustrious boxers as
Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. It is Pacquiao’s third “Fighter of
the Year” award in the last four years and he is expected to receive
his award at the 85th annual banquet of the BWAA in
New York on June 11, the eve of the celebration of Philippine
Independence Day. Pacquiao won the award in the balloting by members of
the BWAA over the other nominees – heavyweight champion Vitali
Klitschko, Andre Ward, Paul Williams and Arthur Abraham. The
charismatic southpaw who is admired for his speed and power in the ring
and his humility both in and out of the ring also beat a roster of
great fighters to win the BWAA vote for “Fighter of the Decade”
including Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane
Mosley, Juan Manuel Marquez and Marco Antonio Barrera. His record
during the decade was 24-1-2 with his only loss being a twelve round
unanimous decision setback in his first clash with Mexican legend Erik”
El Terrible” Morales on March 19, 2005 when a nasty gash over his eye
suffered in an accidental clash of heads in round five gushed blood and
hampered his vision. However, Pacquiao avenged that loss to Morales
twice- over with a 10th round TKO victory in a rematch on January 21,
2006 and a 3rd round annihilation in the last bout of an epic trilogy
on November 18, 2006. His unmatched performance earned him the Ring
Magazine title of pound-for-pound king even as Pacquiao emerged as a
box office sensation with the entire Filipino nation behind him as the
country came to a virtual standstill, communist rebels and Muslim
separatists stopped engaging government forces and police reported
hardly any crimes committed. Pacquiao’s celebrated trainer Freddie
Roach who honed his skills and steered him to his second world title in
his US debut when he won the IBF super bantamweight title with a
smashing sixth round stoppage of Lelohonolo Ledwaba will win his fourth
“Trainer of the Year” award named in honor of the late Eddie Futch who
at one time trained Roach and later on taught him the skills as his
assistant trainer. Roach previously won the award in 2003, 2006 and
2008. WBC lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez, who continues to
challenge Pacquiao to a third fight after salvaging a draw in their
first encounter and losing the rematch by a split decision and Juan
Diaz, will share the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier award for “Fight of the
Year” for their action-packed which Marquez won by a ninth round
stoppage in Diaz’ hometown of Houston, Texas on February 28 last year.
Other awardees include ESPN’s Joe Tessitore, the “Friday Night Fight’s
longtime commentator who was chosen as the Sam Taub awardee for
excellence in broadcast journalism; sports columnist Jerry Izenberg of
the Neward Star Ledger who will receive the John Condon award for long
and meritorious service to boxing; Hall of Fame boxer, the late Alexis
Arguello of Nicaragua who won world championships in three weight
classes will receive the Marvin Kohn “Good Guy Award” posthumously. He
died under tragic circumstances in July last year at the age of 57.
Arguello and the late Gabriel “Flash” Elorde of the Philippines were
named the best junior lightweights in the world at the 20th anniversary
celebrations of the World Boxing Council in New York. Showtime
broadcaster Nick Charles who battling cancer and former heavyweight
contender George Chuvalo of Canada will share theBill Crawford award
for courage in overcoming adversity. Two of Chuvalo's sons died from
drug overdoses and a third son, as well as his first wife, committed
suicide, and now he speaks to high school students about drug use. The
Nat Fleischer award for excellence in boxing journalism, the highest
award the BWAA presents to one of its members, has not been announced
yet. Balloting for the lifetime achievement award is ongoing. It is
voted on only by past winners while this year the BWAA members voted
against naming a manager of the year. - Pacquiao vs Clottey.
