Championships in six different weight divisions, check. Beat the “Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya, check. Appear on two nationally televised US talk shows, check. Toss ceremonial pitch at a Major League Baseball game, check. Make the cover of TIME Magazine, check.
These are some of the achievements that Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has accumulated in his more than 14-year pro boxing career that brought him out of the busy streets of General Santos City and Manila, and into the bright lights of Las Vegas prize-fighting.
His humble beginnings as a street hawker, construction worker and stevedore in General Santos City, and his sudden rise as one of pro boxing’s well-loved fighters made Pacquiao a media magnet and sort of a demigod in the Philippines.
And gracing the cover of TIME Magazine’s Asia edition, his most recent, adds more to Pacquiao’s already iconic personality. Pacquiao will be at the cover of TIME Asia but his five-page feature story will be published in all editions.
Being on the cover of TIME Asia, and TV appearances at ESPN Sports Center and the primetime talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live are enough proof that the world has embraced Pacquiao, the reigning holder of the mythical pound-for-pound title.
His fights, that gave him his multi-million peso fortune today, are eagerly awaited by his countrymen. During each fight, the streets of Metro Manila are free of the usual noise brought by the traffic and crime rate is always at an all-time low, with most Filipinos glued to their television sets rooting for their hometown hero.
According to the TIME Asia story, which has “The Great Hope" as cover title, the 30-year-old Pacquiao is considered to be the latest savior of the sport after boxing lost its once lofty status to the now popular mixed martial arts as the centerpiece of prize-fighting.
“(Pacquiao is) a fighter with enough charisma, intelligence and backstory to help rescue a sport lost in the labyrinth of pay-per-view. Global brands like Nike want him in their ads," wrote Howard Chua-Eoan and Ishaan Tharoor in the cover story for its November 16, 2009 issue. Pacquiao, who is aiming for an unprecedented seventh title in seven weight divisions, is featured by the prestigious magazine in a five-page story.
This will not be the first time that Pacquiao will be featured by TIME Magazine or any other internationally published journal.
He made the TIME 100 most influential list this year where he joined the ranks of global icons and luminaries like US President Barrack Obama, US Sen. Edward Kennedy, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, tennis star Rafael Nadal and world No. 1 golfer Tiger Woods.
ESPN The Magazine had his bare torso in its Body Issue, which explores the engineering of several athletic physiques.
He was also featured on the cover of Reader’s Digest Asia where a seven-page story was also written about the Filipino boxing superstar. The issue came out before Pacquiao’s epic match against the legendary De La Hoya last year.
HBO's 24/7 show also featured him together with Cotto. The episode is currently being aired by the cable channel. HBO previously made a four-part 24/7 show when Pacquiao fought De La Hoya in the "Dream Match" and his "East vs West" bout with British boxer Ricky Hatton.
Pacquiao is the first Filipino sportsman on the cover of TIME Magazine Asia, further cementing his place in history, boxing or otherwise. Environmentalist Chin Chin Gutierrez was also featured in the 2003 cover of TIME Asia.
Other prominent Filipinos who made the cover of TIME Magazine were former Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Manuel L. Roxas, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos and President Corazon C. Aquino (who was featured four times, once as Woman of the Year in 1986).
Boxing phenom Manny Pacquiao joins the prestigious bunch of Filipino politicians and personalities - from former President Manuel L. Quezon to actress Chin Chin Gutierrez - to be featured on the cover of Time.
Pacquiao became the 10th boxer that was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine. Other boxers that made the cover were Jack Demspey (1923), James Tunney (1926), Max Schmeling (1929), Primo Carnera (1931), Joe Louis (1941), Sugar Ray Robinson (1951), Cassius Clay (1963), Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier (1971), Muhammad Ali (1978) and Mike Tyson (1988).
Pacquiao is also the 11th sports icon that made the cover of TIME Magazine after Pete Rose (1989), Magic Johnson (1996) Michael Johnson (1996), Michael Jordan (1998), Marion Jones (2000), Tiger Woods (2000), Sisters Serena and Venus Williams (2001), and Michael Phelps (2008). – GMANews.TV
See also: Manny Pacquiao, 2009 TIME 100 Finalist
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