Fighter of the Year for 2008? Manny Pacquiao or Joe Calzaghe?

I pointed out earlier how Joe Calzaghe was the clear pound for pound king over Manny Pacquiao. However, after his dominance over De La Hoya, a man who had never been dominated, I think Manny has just case to topple Calzaghe in the p4p rankings. But fighter of the year? That may be another matter. Let’s examine this, shall we?

The case for Calzaghe in 2008.

1) Joe beat two legends, Manny only one. David Diaz is a “lower half of the top 10” fighter at best.
2) Joe fought opponents at their (currently) most comfortable weight. Manny fought a drained Oscar.
3) Joe simply continued his reign of dominance over his opponents. Manny had to come back from what many thought was a controversial win over Marquez.

The case for Manny in 2008

1) Pacquiao beat a still vital De La Hoya, a man much naturally bigger than he was, while Calzaghe was closer to his original weight than Hopkins or Jones.
2) Joe won decisions, while Manny stopped both of his opponents.
3) Joe was dropped early in both matches, while Manny did not lose one minute of any round in 17 rounds of action.
4) Joe was favored in both matches, while Pacquiao pulled off a big upset in his win over Oscar.

One can make a clear case for both, based on strong points above, and others. However, I have to side with the Filipino superstar here. I base this opinion mostly on points 2 and 3, which are the most convincing. We also may be seeing the end of Calzaghe, while it seems that Pacquiao may just be hitting his stride. Lets hope we see some of the same great action in 2009. By Chris Strait, SocalFightFan DoghouseBoxing.com