With his sensational wins over Oscar de la Hoya and Ricky Hatton, Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has joined the current league of elite athletes like Tiger Woods and Roger Federer.

“I came to realization, greatness comes in three’s like most things. And Manny Pacquiao belongs in that elite class with Roger Federer and Tiger Woods,” said sports scribe Julius Stecker in his article posted on Boxing24.com.

Stecker said he has followed Pacquiao’s colorful career since he broke into the international scene by scoring an upset against Lehlo “Hands of Stone” Ledwaba.

“I thought about his wins over Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales. He triumphs over Ricky Hatton, and Oscar De La Hoya. Heck I remember watching him crushing Lehlo Ledwaba,” he said.

“To me those wins go right up there with anything Tiger Woods and Roger Federer did in their individual sports,” he added.

Stecker even said that compared to Pacquiao, Woods and Federer had it easier.

“Neither of them had Juan Manual Marquez trying to take their heads off,” he said.

Federer won his 14th grand slam last Sunday in the French Open. The former world No. 1 held the top tennis ranking for 237 consecutive weeks. He is also the sixth man to have won all four grand slams, alongside Andre Agassi, Fred Perry, Don Budge, Roy Emerson and Rod Laver.

Woods also triumphed on Sunday by capturing his fourth Memorial Golf Tournament title. The world’s No. 1 golfer has 14 major championships as well. Woods held the No. 1 spot for a total of 551 weeks, including a consecutive streak of 264 weeks.

Federer and Woods are said to be the best (or among the best) players in their sport.

Pacquiao’s latest win, meantime, was his sensational second round knock out of Britain’s Hatton in May 2. The win cemented his status as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter. He has been in the pound-for-pound top ten rankings for 288 weeks.

The Ring Magazine, considered as the “Bible of Boxing” even called him the “greatest fighter of the decade.”

The Boxing Writers Association of America, meanwhile, named Pacquiao the 2008 Fighter of the Year. He is also the first Asian to be a six-division world champion.

At present, he holds the IBO/Ring Magazine light welterweight title.

Incidentally, Pacquiao, Woods and Federer are all Nike endorsers.

“They are once and a generation athletes that we need to appreciate,” Stecker went on. “We need to appreciate while it lasts. Enjoy Manny while he is here.”