2010: The Year of the PacMan

Over his storied pro career, MANNY PACQUIAO has accomplished so much that selecting a defining year seems near impossible. In 2008 alone, the pound-for-pound king stripped two tough champions in two separate weight divisions of their two titles. The following year, he not only repeated the trick – besting two more champs in two more weight divisions for two more titles – but ended the career of one of the most accomplished fighters in a generation, Oscar De La Hoya, who retired after Pacquiao pummeled him for eight rounds.

But in 2010, Pacquiao reached another level. Both inside and outside the ring, the former street kid from the Philippines received more attention and accolades than in any year previous. Along the way, he not only won a history-making eighth title in eight separate weight divisions – a remarkable achievement many boxing insiders say is unlikely to ever occur again – but also became the first active boxer to ever hold congressional office.

Also, major media outlets in the United States (finally) caught up to the story: multiple magazines and television news programs profiled the living legend. As the decade comes to a close, and as he celebrates his 32^nd birthday in the Philippines (because of the time difference, it isn’t officially until tomorrow in the States), let’s take a look back at what we might call “The Year of the PacMan”:

PROFILED BY INTERVIEW MAGAZINE:

“For a guy who dismantles his opponents in the boxing ring with lethal speed, MANNY PACQUIAO speaks very softly and slowly. But don’t let that gentle voice fool you: Pacquiao is one of the most talked-about, decorated, and feared fighters in the world today.” – Dimitri Ehrlich

Clobbered JOSHUA CLOTTEY:

NAMED BWAA FIGHTER OF THE YEAR AND DECADE:

ELECTED TO CONGRESS:

In boxing, winning is everything. In politics, it’s just the beginning. The first pound-for-pound kingMANNY PACQUIAO knows all too well, as it’s the remarkable seven titles he’s landed in seven divisions that have bestowed upon him “Fighter of the Decade,” among other accolades. The second, well, he’ll be learning soon enough, as PacMan has landed a new title in his native Philippines, where the term “reverence” only begins to describe his larger-than-life stature there: Congressman.

SWORN INTO CONGRESS:

“World champion boxer MANNY PACQUIAO was sworn in as congressman of Sarangani province on Monday, vowing to be even more effective in government than he is in the ring.”  – ABS-CBN.com

DELIVERED FIRST SPEECH TO CONGRESS:

According to an AP report, seven-time world champ Manny Pacquiao delivered his first address to the Philippines congress by quoting legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer and legendary American poet Robert Frost.

PROFILED ON ABC’S NIGHTLINE:

PROFILED ON CBS’S 60 MINUTES:

It isn’t often that this venerable news institution covers boxers. But the producers felt that the time had come to examine the planet’s best fighter. The result: a fascinating mini-documentary.

MAN-HANDLED ANTONIO MARGARITO:

NAMED AMONG THE ALL-TIME GREATS:

In the wake of MANNY PACQUIAO’s DOMINATING WIN over ANTONIO MARGARITO Nov. 13th at Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, many boxing analysts have begun to wonder whether Pacquiao is more than the best fighter of his generation. They’re beginning to wonder whether he is an all-time great.