MANILA, Philippines - As he stepped up his training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, Manny Pacquiao made a big jump in Bloomberg Businessweek’s distinguished list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Athletes for 2011.
Pacquiao jumped from No. 72 last year to No. 24 this year, a clear testament to his meteoric rise as the world’s greatest boxer today, and as the only fighter in history to win eight world titles in as many weight divisions.
Businessweek, a business magazine first published in Sept. 1929 and quartered in New York City, wrote why Pacquiao is on the list.
“Known as “Pacman the Destroyer,” Manny Pacquiao is often rated as the world’s pound-for-pound best boxer, with championships in eight different weight divisions. Elected to the House of Representatives in his native Philippines, Pacquiao continues to fight,” it said.
It also listed Pacquiao’s earnings so far this year at $35 million, and has Nike, McDonald’s and Alaxan as his key sponsors.
Pacquiao, now gearing up for his Nov. 12 showdown with Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas, is the only boxer in this year’s Power 100 headed by NFL quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indiana Colts.
Tiger Woods, on top of the list the last three years, dropped to No. 3 behind Manning and 24-year-old snowboarding icon and 2010 Olympic gold medalist Shawn White.
Making up the top 10 are Phil Mickelson (golf), Tom Brady (football), Shaquille O’Neal (basketball), Drew Brees (football), Lance Armstrong (cycling), Albert Pujols (baseball) and Apolo Anton Ohno (speed skating).
Rounding up the top 20 are LeBron James, Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn. Kobe Bryant, Roger Federer, Eli Manning, Serena Williams, David Beckham, Dwyane Wade and Lee Westwood.
Players from the NFL dominated this year’s list with 27 players in the Power 100, including Manning (No. 1), Brady (No. 5) and Brees (No. 7). Major League baseball had 23 players in the list, NBA with 18, golf with seven, motorsports with seven, tennis with six, Winter Olympics with five, hockey with three, soccer with two, cycling with one and boxing with one in Pacquiao.
Among the athletes who followed the 32-year-old Filipino superstar closely behind are Kevin Durant, Derek Jeter, Jim Furyk, Venus Williams and Bret Favre.