Pacquiao places 24th in AskMen's influential list

He attracts attention wherever he goes, his activities well-followed on TV, print, the Internet and other forms of media. He dictates the terms in his megabuck fights, which he normally laces with a jaw-dropping performance. He commands a $40 million paycheck (as per Forbes tally), but still does some philanthropic work, especially now when many Filipinos are trying to recover from the deadly effects of tropical storm “Ondoy." Manny Pacquiao, without question, radiates influence and power comparable to the likes of US President Barack Obama, the late pop king Michael Jackson, and Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

So much so that the Filipino ring icon made it to another list of powerful men from around the world, this time in AskMen.com’s Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2009. Pacquiao, according to the largest men’s lifestyle website, is the 24th most influential man today, garnering an overall score of 82.1 in its online voting. AskMen.Com cited Pacquiao’s demolition of Ricky Hatton last May as the primary reason for the “Pacman’s" debut into the annual listing. “We generally aren’t intimidated by guys who are 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds, but Manny Pacquiao is a definite exception. This 30-year-old Filipino fighter, currently the IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight champion, recently became the first Asian boxer to win five world titles in five different weight divisions, leading many pundits to label him the greatest pound-for-pound pugilist in boxing history," it said of Pacquiao. Pacquiao, who was earlier listed in the roster of most influential/powerful by prestigious magazines TIME and Forbes, is in the esteemed company of the Who’s Who in politics, entertainment, technology and sports in the AskMen.Com Top 49 ranking. Don Draper, the fictional character of the TV series “Mad Men" topped the online poll with a 91.1 score followed by the world’s fastest man Usain Bolt (89.9); the most powerful man in the planet Obama (89.8); the founder, CEO and president of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg (88.2); American Idol’s Simon Cowell (88); pop king Michael Jackson (87.6) Apple CEO Steve Jobs (87.4); tennis star Roger Federer (87.3); NFL MVP Peyton Manning (86.7) and UFC boss Dana White (86.3) Ranking above Pacquiao from 11th to 23rd are rap mogul Jay-Z (86.2); fashion biggie Tom Ford (86); Comedy Central host Jon Stewart (85.9); Twitter creator Jack Dorsey (85.6); director Quentin Tarantino (85.5); host Conan O’ Brien (85.3); actor Ashton Kutcher (84.6); wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk (84); American Idol host Ryan Seacrest (83.8); Clooney (83.6); Pitt (83.1); football star Lionel Messi (82.7); and hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (82.4). Humbled and honored “I am humbled and honored to have been selected as one of 2009's Top 49 Most Influential Men. It's incredible to be included among such an esteemed list," Pacquiao said in a statement. The men of the Top 49, according to AskMen.Com, span multiple industries and countries; through their achievements, both personal and professional, they have inspired everyday guys in a variety of ways. “They’re the men we look to as role models and history will remember them as those who best embodied the way men aspired to live in 2009," it added. The AskMen.com’s Top 49 is the latest in Pacquiao’s list of achievements this year after winning the 2009 ESPY Awards' Best Fighter plum and ranking 57th in Forbes’ Celebrity 100, sixth in Forbes.com’s roster of highest-paid athletes and 22nd in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. Pacquiao is currently training in Baguio City for his Nov. 14 fight with Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. Although busy at the camp, Pacquiao took time out to donate P1-million for aid efforts for victims of “Ondoy" and personally distribute relief goods during his Sunday break. - GMANews.TV