Pacquiao also tops in ESPN online polls

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao also conquered the world’s top cable sports network as he topped both online poll contests organized by ESPN Star Sports and ESPN Sports Nation. In a report at 24 Oras, only the announcement of ESPN Star Sports is the only thing that is missing to formalize Pacquiao’s claim of becoming the Champion of Champions. Pacquiao amassed a huge lead over Malaysian world squash champion Nicol David as the online poll among Asian sports fans closed Tuesday night. He collected 90.75 percent of the votes against the 9.25 percent David earned in a lopsided finals match. Pacquiao and David bested Indian cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the semis to earn slots in the finals. Pacquiao already earned fighter of the year honors from the World Boxing Council, Sports Illustrated and The Ring magazine. The online poll started on November 28 with Pacquiao beating World MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi of Italy in the first round. He then overwhelmed Spanish striker Fernando Torres in the quarterfinals to earn a final-four slot. David, meanwhile, defeated Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt in the opening match then beat Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo in the Last 8 to earn a semis spot. Other big name sports stars in the list are NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, Olympic gold medal record holder Michael Phelps, Indian cricket sensation MS Dhoni, reigning world no.1 tennis player Rafael Nadal, Beijing Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra of India, F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson and golf’s Tiger Woods. In the ESPN Sports Nation, Pacquiao is also the top athlete that made it to the Top 5 in the All-Sports Nation Team. He earned 98.3 percent of the votes. Joining Pacquiao in the Top 5 are Phelps, Bolt, Bryant and Woods. – GMANews.TV