Few can deny the accolades showering Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. His end-of-the-year beatdown of Puerto Rico fighter Miguel Cotto served to cap a historic decade-long run of achievements earning him the title of best Pound-for-Pound boxer in the world.
The title of being one of the greatest fighters in the world was well earned - a stunning seven championship titles in seven different weight divisions.
He has fought against the world's best. That pedigreed list includes the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Oscar dela Hoya. In year 2009 he was able to turn the boxing world on its head by his stunning defeat of Englishman Ricky Hatton with less than ten seconds remaining on their second round. The sharp left hook which flattened Hatton shocked the boxing world and cemented Pacquiao's status as the fighter to watch.
Around the time of his match against Cotto, "The People's champ" was featured on the cover of the Asian edition of TIME Magazine. He was also in The 2009 TIME 100 list under the category of "Heroes and Icons" alongside the likes of George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama. Already the subject of a biopic a couple of years before, commercial TV endorsements and his very own network sitcom, Pacquiao has his sights set on doing movies with a theatrical release in December 2009's Manila Film Festival with him in the starring role. As if that wasn't enough, the man is the first athlete to featured in a Philippine Postal Office stamp. Pacquiao's grip on the sporting world and pop culture serves to continue his legendary status.
What's next for the man who seemingly has run out of opponents and with no plans to move up another weight-class? 2010 sees an obvious challenge on the horizon over another, supposed pound-for-pound fighter with a penchant for flapping his mouth like a hummingbird's wings.
