By Ryan Songalia 
 
Ironically enough, of all of Manny Pacquiao's great wins, this writer considers his 2005 fight with Hector Velasquez to be his most significant. Though it was a tuneup bout for Pacquiao's rematch with Erik Morales, the six-round TKO marked the night when a very good fighter became a great fighter.
 
It wasn't simply that Pacquiao stopped the durable Velasquez; it was how he did it. In Pacquiao's two previous noteworthy bouts - the first meetings with Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez - the Filipino southpaw was merely a one-trick pony trying to land his left cross. His speed and power alone were enough to beat Marco Antonio Barrera in his star-making performance of 2003, but wouldn't be enough to overcome Marquez (draw) and Morales (decision loss).
 
For the Velasquez fight, trainer Freddie Roach worked to transform Pacquiao into a two-handed fighter, utilizing his right hand to do more than set up his money punch. The shot that ultimately led to the stoppage would be a right hook, which served as a portent of things to come.
 
That performance (coupled with Morales' subsequent defeat to Zahir Raheem later that night) would ultimately help swing the rematch into Pacquiao's favor as he used both hands to score a dominant 11th-round stoppage over Morales.
 
Defeating Morales didn't earn him a world title at 130 pounds but it does contribute to the unprecedented body of work that has earned him the Boxing Writers Association of America's "Fighter of the Decade" Award. Pacquiao also won his third "Sugar Ray Robinson Fighter of the Year" award, tying him with Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.

Pacquiao will be on hand to accept the awards in person this Friday at the 85th Annual BWAA Awards Dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
 
"I was not surprised that he won," says BWAA president Jack Hirsch of Pacquiao's selection as the best fighter of the 2000s. "I was a bit surprised by the decisiveness of Pacquiao's winning, however.
 
"He closed the decade very strongly, beating a number of high profile men. It was the type of thing where it did come down to him or Mayweather and whoever the voters voted for, there couldn't have been a big argument against either choice."
 
Hirsch added that while the exact tally could not be divulged, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a distant runner-up with Joe Calzaghe coming in third. Calzaghe retired with a record of 46-0 and won titles at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, while Mayweather Jr. is still unbeaten at 41-0.
 
Pacquiao, now 51-3-2 (38 KO), began the decade as a relatively unknown former flyweight titlist who lost his belt to Medgoen Singsurat the year before. He would go on to win titles at 122, 126, 130, 135, 140 and 147, becoming the first fighter to bridge the flyweight and welterweight titles in the process.
 
In addition to the Mexican trio of Barrera, Morales and Marquez, Pacquiao also claimed victories over Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. Did I mention that, save for the close decision over Marquez, those were all knockout wins?
 
Hirsch brought up the issue of image and what role, if any, it played in the BWAA's selection.
 
Mayweather, who has played the role of villain more times than Tim Curry, has not always endeared himself to the media. Hirsch says that in previous years, there have been instances where sentiments played a role in selections. He says this wasn't one of them.
 
"Pacquiao's margin was so decisive and if the voters felt Mayweather deserved it, they would have obviously voted for him.
 
"A lot of times when they have a situation where two fighters are evenly matched, the one that's a little more popular is the one that will wind up winning an award. For example, In 1994, both Roy Jones Jr. and George Foreman had great years but Jones' defining fight was beating James Toney and Foreman's was beating Michael Moorer. Even though Jones looked much more impressive against a higher caliber fighter, the sentiment seemed to be with Foreman with how popular he had become."
 
For Mayweather's case, he did finish the decade undefeated with wins over de la Hoya and Hatton of his own, to go along with victories over Arturo Gatti, Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales. Pacquiao's more impressive showings over de la Hoya and Hatton, along with Mayweather's sabbatical from 2008 to the Fall of 2009, was probably enough to seal the deal.
 
With the decade over, Pacquiao has now turned his attention to politics. His popularity isn't limited to boxing media, apparently: He won the congressional race in the Filipino province of Sarangani by a landslide this year. Pacquiao has stated that as per his mother's request, his fight scheduled for November 13 against a yet unnamed opponent will be his last.
 
If so, it may be many more decades before we see another fighter like Manny Pacquiao. -RS

Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia .