Manny Pacquiao awarded BWAA Fighter of the Year and Decade

The boxing’s pound-for-pound king and newly elected Sarangani province Congressman, Manny Pacquiao, received his third Fighter of the Year award from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Friday at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, USA.

In 2009, Pacquiao scored impressive knockout wins over two of the top boxers; a 2nd round devastating KO over Ricky Hatton in May and a 12th round TKO over Miguel Cotto in November on the Pacquiao vs Cotto wherein he captured his seventh world title in as many weight divisions, a mythical feat that no other boxer have achieved.

For these, the BWAA awarded Pacquiao as the 2009 Fighter of the Year. On the awarding ceremony, Pacquiao said that,

“Tonight I overflow with joy and gratitude. I am thankful that, just like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and other boxers, I decided to get into boxing.”

Manny Pacquiao was also named as the Fighter of the Decade (2000 to 2009).

From his humble beginnings at Paquita to his Road To Dallas, the “Pac-Man” never failed to give the fans an exciting quality fight throughout his career. Remember the cymbals?

“I confronted poverty by trusting God and dreaming big,” Pacquiao said. “I was convinced I could succeed in boxing. The boxing ring could be the breeding ground for my dreams.”

Check out the Manny Pacquiao Greatest Hits boxing video.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was also honored by BWAA for the fourth time as the Trainer of the Year. He’s responsible in transforming Manny into a Fighter of the Decade caliber boxer.

Watch Manny Pacquiao’s speech as the 2009 BWAA Fighter of the Year as well as the Fighter of the Decade:

Pacquiao was accompanied by his wife, Jinkee, and most of his family. According to media sources, the P4P king will remain in New York to watch the Cotto vs Foreman world title fight on Saturday in the first fight at Yankee Stadium in more than three decades.

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