Pacquiao is on TIME 100 list, aims for higher spot

US-based magazines TIME and The Ring once again honored Manny Pacquiao. Despite verbal tirades by comedian Adam Carolla’s against Pacquiao, which failed to get enough attention, TIME and The Ring magazines made sure that they recognize the Filipino boxing icon’s superstar status.

Pacquiao, the reigning holder of the mythical pound-for-pound crown, was once again included in TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people poll and already collected more than 9,000 votes as of posting time. On the other hand, The Ring magazine, considered as the boxing world’s bible, made the seven-division world champion the cover story for its June issue. The TIME Magazine poll, which listed Pacquiao at 63rd place, opened voting on April 1 and ends on April 29, with the top-ranked 100 to be featured in their end-of-the month issue. The General Santos City native is currently ranked 23rd in TIME’s 100 most influential people poll with a total of 9,178 votes. He earned an average ranking of 91. He ranked fifth among sports figures, behind Olympic gold medalist figure skater Yu-Na Kim of South Korea (2nd place, 161,100); Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (7th, 68,439); Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White (10th, 45,404); and Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette (21st, 10,125). Pacquiao first appeared in TIME’s 100 most influential people last year, placing 20th among the heroes and icons behind Rafael Nadal (11) and Tiger Woods (14). Pop artist Lady Gaga – Stefani Joanne Germanotta – currently holds the top spot with 202,484 votes. The TIME Magazine poll lets voters rank the 201 candidates, on a scale from 1 to 100, as a measure of how influential they are in today’s world. Pacquiao, according to the TIME Magazine article, is not only an idol in the Philippines but "has become an international sports god, drawing much-needed fans to the fading profession of boxing." TIME also compared Pacquiao’s last two fights against Miguel Cotto and Joshua Clottey. "(Pacquiao’s) ferocious November 2009 battle with Cotto in Las Vegas drew immense numbers. And while his recent fight against Clottey was a relative cakewalk, it packed the colossal, high-def Dallas Stadium to standing-room capacity." TIME added that the only challenger left for Pacquiao is the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. "(But) for now (Pacquiao) is focusing on a prize he has tried but failed to win before: a seat in his country's legislature." Other athletes in the Top 100 are speedskater Apolo Ohno (27), football striker Cristiano Ronaldo (30), tennis champion Roger Federer (36), Brazil football star Kaka (51), Tiger Woods (68), France’s football idol Thierry Henry (75), Olympic ski racer Lindsey Vonn (80) and Super Bowl most valuable player Drew Brees (98). Interestingly, NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Michael Jordan were not on the list. – GMANews.TV