2008 Sports Illustrated Fighter of the Year: Manny Pacquiao
Posted on December 18th, 2008
2008 is really the year of Manny Pacquiao, the ‘Pambansang Kamao’ has brought an even greater glory to the country because he was named Fighter of the Year by the Sport’s Illustrated magazine.
Truly Pacquiao’s name has created a big buzz in the boxing world, with no less than the legendary boxing Mike Tyson even visiting him during his recent training sessions. No Filipino boxer has yet achieved what Manny Pacquiao has reached in the world of boxing.
The 30-year old boxer indeed had a great year, winning all three crucial fights he had this 2008. The first one was in March were he won over Juan Manuel Marquez in a 36-minute brutal war. Pacquiao was bloodied and battered, but he won the fight and the WBC belt.
In June 2008, Pacquiao’s next casualty would be David Diaz, where he was knocked down by the Pacman in the ninth round and Diaz was not able to rise again. Pacquiao became the first ever Filipino to win WBC Lightweight Championship belt and the only Asian boxer to win four major titles in four weight classes.
But perhaps, the most celebrated victory of Pacquiao was his recent non-title match with the Golden Boy Oscar de la Hoya. Billed as The Dream Match, it was said to be a handicapped match fitting our very own against a bigger and more seasoned boxer.
As the fight progresses, it was indeed a handicapped match, but not in the way it was said to be. Pacquiao defeated de la Hoya as he was punching at him almost at will, controlling all 8 rounds of the fight. De la Hoya threw in the white towel before the ninth round started
Because of Pacman’s impact on boxing, SI has given him the tile Fighter of Year, the first Filipino to receive the title. If 2008 was great, 2009 is yet another year to look forward to. Potential matches include a match between Ricky Hatton and another boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. to determine, once and for all, who is the generation’s pound-for-pound fighter.
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