Pacquiao leads 4 world champs in Elorde Awards

MANILA, Philippines - Five Filipino fighters who won nine of 13 title bouts in 2011 will be honored as most outstanding boxers of the year in the 12th Gabriel “Flash” Elorde Boxing Awards/Banquet of Champions on March 25 at the grand ballroom of the Dusit Thani Hotel.

The boxers are WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, WBC/WBO bantamweight ruler Nonito Donaire, WBO flyweight king Brian Viloria and WBO female superbantamweight queen Ana Julaton, who accounted for two title wins each, and WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes who had one win.

Pacquiao, Donaire, Viloria, Nietes and Julaton are the country’s reigning world champions.

Pacquiao, 33, twice successfully defended the WBO 147-lb title against Sugar Shane Mosley in May and against Juan Manuel Marquez in November. The two wins alone netted Pacquiao $42M, making him sports’ highest money earner during the year.

The Elorde Boxing Awards which is also being presented by Cobra Energy Drink will also honor Pacquiao with a special citation which the Elorde family will announce during the Awards Night held in memory of the boxing legend and International Hall of Famer, Flash Elorde, who held the world junior lightweight crown for seven consecutive years from 1960.

Previous honors already conferred by the Elorde Boxing Awards on Pacquiao are Pound-for Pound King, Boxer of the Year, induction into the Elorde Hall of Fame, Boxer of the Decade and Quintessential Athlete awards.

“The award the Elorde family will be honoring him with through the Elorde Boxing Awards/Banquet of Champions is for his achievements as a man off the ring,” said Da Flash’s wife Laura. “Manny Pacquiao is a legend who has given honor to his countrymen and, in many ways, made an impact on the lives of millions of ordinary Filipinos.”

“It is the character that marked Filipino champions before him, including the great Pancho Villa (1920s) and Da Flash, who became true champions of the poor outside the ring,” she added.

Also to be awarded are other international and Philippine champions, most promising boxer, the best fight of the year, best promoter and manager and individuals and entities that have contributed to the promotion of professional boxing.

For inquiries, call up the Elorde office at 8264463 or 09162423657.