KIDWCKED
12-30-2009, 02:59 PM
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this is a c\p
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive
Ricky Hatton can attest to the fact that Manny Pacquiao is boxing's best fighter.
If you are surprised by the pick for 2009 ESPN.com fighter of the year, well, you haven't paid attention to boxing for the past 12 months.
It's Manny Pacquiao, the biggest no-brainer selection since, well, 2008, when Pacquiao was also the obvious pick.
In fact, the pound-for-pound king and icon of the Philippines has claimed fighter of the year honors in three of the past four years, as he concluded yet another tremendous campaign in 2009.
In 2008, Pacquiao raced up the scale, winning titles at junior lightweight, with his tight decision against Juan Manuel Marquez, and at lightweight, with his battering of titleholder David Diaz, before going to welterweight and pounding Oscar De La Hoya into retirement.
Pacquiao's 2009 was just as impressive as he continued to electrify fans by winning both of his fights by dominant knockout. With decisive victories against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, both coming at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao added championships in two more weight classes to give him titles in a record seven divisions -- flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.
It was also the year in which Pacquiao, already on the fringe of all-time great status, put his name firmly into the discussion. Greatest southpaw. Greatest Asian fighter. Clear top 25 fighter of all-time.
His promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, calls him "the greatest fighter I've ever seen" in more than 40 years in the business. He compares Pacquiao's star power -- and fighting prowess -- to Muhammad Ali's, whom Arum also promoted.
Rafael's Fighters of the Year
YearFighter2009Manny Pacquiao2008Manny Pacquiao2007Floyd Mayweather Jr.2006Manny Pacquiao2005Ricky Hatton2004Glen Johnson2003James Toney2002Vernon Forrest2001Bernard Hopkins2000Felix Trinidad
Trainer Freddie Roach, who has been with Pacquiao since 2001, believes he could be in line for more fighter of the year nods, perhaps again in 2010 if the tentative March 13 summit meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes off and Pacquiao wins.
"The scary thing is we still have not seen the best of Manny Pacquiao," Roach said after the knockout of Cotto. "I have never trained an athlete like Manny, who after more than 50 fights is still willing to learn new techniques and is able to apply them. One of the reasons Manny is so hard to fight is because you never see the same Manny two times in a row. He always has a new style making him totally unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Plus his conditioning is supreme to anyone in the sport. He is an athletic phenomenon.
"I get a lot of credit for his success, but it's Manny who does the work in the gym and does the fighting in the ring. He's incredible. His last five fights have been at four different weight divisions. He goes up in weight. He goes down in weight. He fights the best in each division."
After the stunningly easy upset win against De La Hoya to end 2008, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) dropped to junior welterweight in May to face Hatton, the champion who had never been beaten at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao ruthlessly took care of him in short order, blasting him out in two rounds with one of the most spectacular knockouts in recent memory. That gave Pacquiao a title in a sixth division, including a record fourth lineal championship.
That set the stage for the year's biggest fight as Pacquiao, who turned 31 on Dec. 17, moved back up to welterweight to challenge Cotto for his belt. Cotto was the biggest and strongest man Pacquiao had ever faced. While the bout began competitively, the tide turned to Pacquiao after a few rounds. From there, it was a landslide as Pacquiao stormed to a bloody, 12th-round knockout to win yet another title in a fight that also was the year's biggest commercial success as it generated 1.25 million pay-per-view buys.
Pacquiao's reaction to all the hoopla was typical: Humble and with his country on his mind.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job," Pacquiao said after the Cotto fight. "One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. It's an awesome power and a big responsibility. This fight was about history. People will remember that the first man to win world titles in seven different weight divisions was a Filipino."
this is a c\p
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
Archive
Ricky Hatton can attest to the fact that Manny Pacquiao is boxing's best fighter.
If you are surprised by the pick for 2009 ESPN.com fighter of the year, well, you haven't paid attention to boxing for the past 12 months.
It's Manny Pacquiao, the biggest no-brainer selection since, well, 2008, when Pacquiao was also the obvious pick.
In fact, the pound-for-pound king and icon of the Philippines has claimed fighter of the year honors in three of the past four years, as he concluded yet another tremendous campaign in 2009.
In 2008, Pacquiao raced up the scale, winning titles at junior lightweight, with his tight decision against Juan Manuel Marquez, and at lightweight, with his battering of titleholder David Diaz, before going to welterweight and pounding Oscar De La Hoya into retirement.
Pacquiao's 2009 was just as impressive as he continued to electrify fans by winning both of his fights by dominant knockout. With decisive victories against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, both coming at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Pacquiao added championships in two more weight classes to give him titles in a record seven divisions -- flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, junior lightweight, lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight.
It was also the year in which Pacquiao, already on the fringe of all-time great status, put his name firmly into the discussion. Greatest southpaw. Greatest Asian fighter. Clear top 25 fighter of all-time.
His promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum, calls him "the greatest fighter I've ever seen" in more than 40 years in the business. He compares Pacquiao's star power -- and fighting prowess -- to Muhammad Ali's, whom Arum also promoted.
Rafael's Fighters of the Year
YearFighter2009Manny Pacquiao2008Manny Pacquiao2007Floyd Mayweather Jr.2006Manny Pacquiao2005Ricky Hatton2004Glen Johnson2003James Toney2002Vernon Forrest2001Bernard Hopkins2000Felix Trinidad
Trainer Freddie Roach, who has been with Pacquiao since 2001, believes he could be in line for more fighter of the year nods, perhaps again in 2010 if the tentative March 13 summit meeting with Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes off and Pacquiao wins.
"The scary thing is we still have not seen the best of Manny Pacquiao," Roach said after the knockout of Cotto. "I have never trained an athlete like Manny, who after more than 50 fights is still willing to learn new techniques and is able to apply them. One of the reasons Manny is so hard to fight is because you never see the same Manny two times in a row. He always has a new style making him totally unpredictable and impossible to anticipate. Plus his conditioning is supreme to anyone in the sport. He is an athletic phenomenon.
"I get a lot of credit for his success, but it's Manny who does the work in the gym and does the fighting in the ring. He's incredible. His last five fights have been at four different weight divisions. He goes up in weight. He goes down in weight. He fights the best in each division."
After the stunningly easy upset win against De La Hoya to end 2008, Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) dropped to junior welterweight in May to face Hatton, the champion who had never been beaten at 140 pounds.
Pacquiao ruthlessly took care of him in short order, blasting him out in two rounds with one of the most spectacular knockouts in recent memory. That gave Pacquiao a title in a sixth division, including a record fourth lineal championship.
That set the stage for the year's biggest fight as Pacquiao, who turned 31 on Dec. 17, moved back up to welterweight to challenge Cotto for his belt. Cotto was the biggest and strongest man Pacquiao had ever faced. While the bout began competitively, the tide turned to Pacquiao after a few rounds. From there, it was a landslide as Pacquiao stormed to a bloody, 12th-round knockout to win yet another title in a fight that also was the year's biggest commercial success as it generated 1.25 million pay-per-view buys.
Pacquiao's reaction to all the hoopla was typical: Humble and with his country on his mind.
"Nothing personal, just doing my job," Pacquiao said after the Cotto fight. "One of the biggest advantages I have is that every fight is an opportunity to give honor to the Philippines. The Filipino people don't just give me their support, they also give me their strength, their pride and their love. It's an awesome power and a big responsibility. This fight was about history. People will remember that the first man to win world titles in seven different weight divisions was a Filipino."