Reasons Why Manny Pacquiao is the People's Champion

Manny "The Pacman" Pacquiao sealed his place in boxing history after he won the WBC lightweight title, his 4th belt in as many classes against David Diaz last Saturday, June 28, 2008, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas. With 8 rounds of boxing and a convincing knockout in the 9th round, The Pacman proved that he is arguably the best pound for pound fighter (now that Mayweather is retired). It was a great feat for The Pacman as he had previously won belts in the flyweight, junior featherweight and super featherweight divisions but the belts are just part of why he really is the champion.

In this fight, there were two thing I observed that really makes The Pacman the people's champion: his sportsmanship and humility. We all know how he beat David Diaz in what was called by the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (Philippines) as a masterpiece and we know how he just made history but it is important to know that this guy is such a sportsman a world class athlete. How? Take a look at how he tried to help Diaz after knocking him out. Instead of jumping around in celebration, he immediately checked on the condition of Diaz once he knew the fight was over. He even tried to pull Diaz' hand up, which I thought looked weird as if they were kids, but it still is a world class act. Another thing that amazes me is that while the fight was going on, he would talk to the referee and ask him to check on the condition of Diaz. He knew he had him beaten up but out of respect for his opponent, he did what he had to do. This is truly a great job on Manny's part.

Another thing that impressed me during the fight is how humble The Pacman can be. After the fight, he acknowledged Diaz as being his toughest opponent and even said that he was impressed with him after throwing a lot of strong and power punches. But what made him really humble was when the Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo) were there to have their picture taken. Yes, the Boston Celtics were really humble here especially after winning the world championship and I really admire them for that but did you see the look on Pacquiao? He was in awe and I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting them to be there. Another thing that kept him humble was when the Boston Celtics cheered his name. He sure looked like he didn't know what to do that when he and Garnett were interviewed, the reporter did most of the talking for him. He didn't even look like he just won the WBC lightweight title.

With those traits, and a kind heart in donating a lot in the victims of Typhoon Frank in the Philippines, the Pacman really is the people's champion. Congratulations to him!