Manny Pacquiao chosen as Fighter of the Year

Here's another addition to Manny Pacquiao's list of achievements this year.

After being named boxer of the year by the World Boxing Council, international sports magazine Sports Illustrated and British newspaper The Sun, the Pambansang Kamao has also been chosen by Yahoo Sports as its Fighter of the Year,

According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole, picking this year's fighter of the year was as easy "as falling asleep on the couch after a large holiday meal. It doesn’t take much effort."

In his column, Iole cited Pacquiao's various achievements for 2008 including a win via split decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15 to win the WBC super featherweight title; a technical knockout of David Diaz to win WBC lightweight title on June 28; and the masterful win via TKO over Oscar De La Hoya on December 6 in a non-title welterweight bout.

"He was 3-0 with wins against quality opponents. He fought in three weight classes. He established himself clearly as the best pound-for-pounder fighter in the world. He took on the most significant challengers and came out on top," Iole said in his column "Meet The Fighter of the Year."

Pacquiao bested other top boxers for the honor including Antonio Margarito (2), Juan Manuel Marquez (3), Joe Calzaghe (5) and Bernard Hopkins (6).

Iole also picked Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, as the Trainer of the Year for methodically molding the Pinoy pugilist into the world’s greatest fighter.

"Roach helped Pacquiao improve his balance, increase his defensive awareness,develop his right and tighten his punches. Roach is almost a master game planner as well as a sharp eye in the corner. He’s able to suggest subtle changes during a fight that can make the difference between winning and losing," Iole said in describing Roach's achievements.