Vote for Pacquiao in ESPY Awards
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/01/2009 1:15 PM
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The world’s best pound-for-pound fighter is up for two awards at the 2009 Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards of US cable television sports network ESPN.
Manny Pacquiao has been nominated in the “Best Play” and “Best Fighter” categories.
His second round knockout of Britain’s Ricky Hatton last May 2 gave him the IBO/Ring Magazine light welterweight title and solidified his status as the pound-for-pound king.
ESPY awardees will be determined by the number of votes they receive online. Sports fans must first register before voting over at http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/specialsection/espys2009/#/home/. Voting closes on July 11 at midnight (PST).
Pacquiao's victory over Hatton was nominated for “Best Play” alongside Santonio Holmes's winning catch during Super Bowl XLIII, which gave the Pittsburgh Steelers their record sixth Super Bowl title.
Other “Best Play” nominees include the 28-yard touchdown pass of Michael Crabtree with just 0:01. The catch lifted Texas Tech over Texas, 39-33.
The goal made by Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals versus the New York Rangers was also nominated. It was scored during Game 5 of the Staley Cup Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Meantime, Pacquiao is also up against a boxer and two MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters in the “Best Fighter” category.
Aside from his sensational KO of Hatton, Pacquiao was cited for his eighth round technical knockout win over “Golden Boy” Oscar de la Hoya in 2008.
“The Pacman” was also recognized as a six-division world champion.
“Sugar” Shane Mosley, meantime, was nominated for his TKO win over Antonio Margarito of Mexico. MMA’s Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva are also in the running for the “Best Fighter” Award.
Machida beat then undefeated Rashad Evans in UFC 98 to become the light heavyweight champion while Silva scored wins over Thales Leites, James Irvin and Patrick Cote.
The ESPY Awards has a total of 37 categories, including “Best Male Athlete,” “Best Female Athlete,” and “Best Championship Performance.”
“Best Male Athlete” nominees are 2009 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant, 2009 MVP Lebron James, Olympic champion Michael Phelps and auto racing titlist Jimmie Johnson.
Bryant is also nominated for “Best Championship Performance” for leading the Los Angeles Lakers franchise to its 15th championship.
The ESPY Awards night will be held on July 15 at the NOKIA Theatre LA Live in Los Angeles, California. Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson will host the event. With a report from Dong Secuya, PhilBoxing.com.
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