The Pacquiao-Morales showdown last March 19 at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada has been acclaimed by boxing scholars and fans as well as a battle for the ages, one that will surely go down in boxing history books.
Despite a bloodied face caused by a nasty cut over his left eye, Pacquiao put up one big, courageous fight - albeit for a losing cause - against Morales.
Morales' triumph was so very close that everybody clamored for an immediate rematch, a keenly-awaited event that will take place on January 21, 2006 at the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas.
Tipped to challenge Pacquiao-Morales for the prestigious WBC award are the matches pitting Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo, Tomasz Adamek vs. Paul Briggs, Jorge Arce vs. Hussein Hussein, Jesus Chavez vs. Carlos Hernandez, and Humberto Soto vs. Rocky Juarez.
The Pacquiao-Morales battle also generated millions of dollars in Pay-Per-View sales, making it one of the candidates for the "Gretest Boxing Promotion."
Others nominated in that category are Corrales vs. Castillo, Floyd Mayweather vs. Arturo Gatti, Jermain Taylor vs. Bernard Hopkins, Ricardo Mayorga vs. Michele Picchirillo, and Hasim Rahman vs. Monte Barrett.
On the other hand, Fil-Am Brian "The Hawaian Punch" Viloria, who had been very vocal and proud of his Filipino roots, has been tabbed among the nominees for the "Boxer of the Year."
Viloria gained overwhelming plaudits for dethroning Mexican Erik Ortiz via a brutal first round knockout last September 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. His masterful destruction of Ortiz has also been nominated as "Knockout of the Year."
Making the elite list of Viloria's rivals for the "Boxer of the Year" accolade are Floyd Mayweather, Winky Wright, Tomasz Adamek, Oscar Larios, Jermain Taylor, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Jorge Arce.
Aside from Viloria's sensational triumph over Ortiz, others tabbed to contend for the "Knockout of the Year" are Barrera over Fana, Castillo over Corrales, and Israel Vasquez over Oscar Larios.
Viloria's win over Ortiz also made him a candidate for the "Revelation Fighter of the Year." He will be challenged by Tomasz Adamek of Poland and Humberto Soto of Mexico.
Don King Productions is the runaway choice for the "Most Active Promoter of the Year" with 11 promotions tucked on Don King's waist. Top Rank placed second with seven fights and Golden Boy Promotions ranked third with five.
On the other hand, Koki Kameda of Japan, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. of Mexico, Edwin Valero of Venezuela, and Ruslan Chagaev of Russia are the nominees for the "Upcoming Stars of the Year." - EBV