Manny Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Seven-division champ Manny Pacquiao’s dominating performances in the last few years made him the best choice for the Boxing Writers Association of America’s (BWAA) Fighter of the Decade Award.

BWAA president Jack Hirsch told Ryan Songalia of PhilBoxing.com that Pacquiao’s wins were more decisive than those of his counterparts from 2000 to 2009.

"He closed the decade very strongly, beating a number of high-profile men,” said Hirsch. “It was the type of thing where it did come down to him or Mayweather. And whoever the voters voted for, there couldn't have been a big argument against either choice."

While the BWAA did not release the exact tally of votes, he said Pacquiao finished with a distant lead over two others, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Joe Calzaghe, both undefeated boxers.

Mayweather has a record of 41 wins and no loss, while Calzaghe retired with a record of 46-0.

Mayweather was the former pound-for-pound king, having won the WBC Super Featherweight, WBC Lightweight, WBC Light Welterweight, IBF Welterweight, WBC Welterweight, IBO Welterweight, IBA World Welterweight, WBC Super Welterweight titles.

He also scored victories over big names like Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Arturo Gatti, Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales.

Calzaghe won the WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF middleweight titles. He scored decisive wins over Chris Eubank, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr..

Pacquiao, meanwhile, has 51 wins and 3 losses.

However, he has the distinction of being the only boxer to win 7 world titles in 7 weight classes, including the WBO welterweight, IBO light welterweight, WBC lightweight, WBC and linear super featherweight, lineal featherweight, IBF super bantamweight, and WBC flyweight crowns.

Aside from the distinction of being a 7-division champion, he scored knockout wins over Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto.

"I was not surprised that he won," said Hirsch. "I was a bit surprised by the decisiveness of Pacquiao's winning, however.”

"Pacquiao's margin was so decisive, and if the voters felt Mayweather deserved it, they would have obviously voted for him,” he added.

The Filipino boxing hero, who was recently elected as Sarangani congressman, is set to receive his award at the 85th Annual BWAA Awards Dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on Friday (Saturday in Manila).

Mayweather earlier questioned Pacquiao’s stature among boxing greats.

“He beat a Miguel Cotto who got pummeled with a cast and he beat a Ricky Hatton that got stretched by me… That’s not for me to put him in the Hall of Fame,” Mayweather earlier said in a report posted on Fighthype.com.

“Manny Pacquiao struggled twice, which we really know he got beat, struggled twice with Marquez, which we know he really lost. Right? And we know he been knocked out twice and he got outboxed by Erik Morales, but then they still give him Boxer of the Decade. So that’s another thing I don’t understand,” added Mayweather. -- With a report from PhilBoxing.com