Pacquiao named Sportsman of the Year in UAE

Dubai – Manny Pacquiao, the Fighting Pride of the Philippines, has been named the 2010 Sportsman of the Year by Sport360°.com in an online poll conducted by the Abu Dhabi-based English sports daily. “Pacquiao garnered 57 percent of the total votes cast to beat a number of world-class athletes, including legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel, who came in second and third respectively," said Chris McHardy, Sport360°’s Web Editor. “Pacquiao is quite simply a phenomenon and thoroughly deserves our inaugural Sportsman of the Year title," McHardy added. UAE-based Filipinos were elated upon hearing news of Pacquiao’s achievement. Sport360° reader Reimond De Leon called Pacquiao “The Eighth Wonder of the World" — since he became the first boxer ever to win an eighth title in eight different weight divisions. The world’s top pound-for-pound fighter defeated Mexican Antonio Margarito last November to clinch the 154-pound World Boxing Council (WBC) super welterweight strap for his eighth title. Other nominees Other sterling athletes who made it to the shortlist were: Lee Westwood, who ended Tiger Woods’ incredible 281-week reign as the world’s number one golfer; Martin Kaymer, who won his maiden Major at the USPGA Championship and claimed the European No.1 spot; Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who added three Grand Slam titles in 2010 and reclaimed the No. 1 spot from Roger Federer; FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi of Argentina and his Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the dynamic duo instrumental in Spain’s first ever World Cup triumph; Drew Brees, the NFL’s star quarterback who guided the New Orleans Saints to their first ever Super Bowl triumph with a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts; Tim Lincecum, starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, who played a pivotal role in a 4-1 win over the Texas Rangers in the World Series. Kobe Bryant, who secured his fifth championship ring as LA Lakers swept Boston Celtics in last year’s NBA finals; Sidney Crosby, touted as the finest NHL player of his generation, who inspired Canada to a gold medal in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver; and horse racing champion Tony McCoy. Laureus nominee Pacquiao – regarded as the world’s No.1 pound-for-pound boxer by Ring magazine and named Fighter of the Decade by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) – is one of the nominees for the World Sportsman of the Year award in the prestigious 2011 Laureus World Sports Awards. The Laureus, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on February 7, is considered the Oscar Awards in the world of sports, with the winners being chosen by a jury made up of 46 of the world’s finest athletes of all time. – JVP, KY, GMANews.TV