MANILA, Philippines—His popularity as the tireless pound-for-pound king of the world has put Manny Pacquiao in the running for one of Time Magazine’s slots in its annual 100 most influential people in the world list.
Pacquiao, whose blazing, relentless punching prowess helped him win seven world titles in as many weight categories, is ranked No. 21 in the Time list, ahead of such athletes as Tiger Woods, Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters.
“An idol in his native Philippines, Pacquiao has become an international sports god, drawing much-needed fans to the fading profession of boxing,” the magazine said. “For now, the Filipino, a champion in seven weight classes, is focusing on a prize he has tried but failed to win before: A seat in his country’s legislature.”
Pacquiao, who recently held on to the mythical pound-for-pound title despite an uneventful victory over Joshua Clottey in his first defense of his welterweight title, is now eyeing a potential blockbuster fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is scheduled to take on dangerous American Shane Mosley on May 1.
The Pacman and the undefeated Mayweather were penciled for a March 13 bout, but disagreements over drug testing protocols shelved the fight, which would have earned each boxer at least $40 million each.
The collapse of the fight continues to be the talk in sports entertainment circles with comedian Adam Carolla calling the Filipino icon an “idiot” for not agreeing to the drug-testing.
Speaking in a radio interview, the comedian said: “I gotta tell you, if that was a white fighter and probably even a black fighter, if the black fighter was from Atlanta or somewhere like that, someone would go, ‘What the f**k are you talking about? Give your drop of blood. That’s not gonna make a difference.”
“But because he’s from the Philippines and because he’s prayin’ to chicken bones and stuff like that, everyone’s kinda like, ‘Well, you gotta respect him for his belief system.’ No you don’t. He’s a f****n’ idiot.”
By: Francis Ochoa
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
