Once again, eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao has been nominated for the Best Fighter ESPY Award. The ESPY Awards, created by cable television network ESPN, is an annual ceremony that celebrates athletic performances throughout the year. Nominees for each category are chosen and the winners are then selected exclusively via online fan balloting. This marks the third year in a row that Pacquiao has been nominated for the coveted award. Although officially he's been nominated a total of four times, Pacquiao has only won it once, in 2009, having been beaten out by rival Floyd Mayweather every other time.
This year, Pacquiao will have some stiff competition from his fellow nominees. He's joined by future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, who became the oldest boxer to win a major world title, and middleweight king Sergio Martinez, who successfully defended his crown twice with impressive knockout victories. Pacquiao will also be pitted against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the youngest UFC champion ever, as well as UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who also had two successful title defenses, bringing his streak to six. ESPN lists the following achievements as the reason for Pacquiao's nomination:
- Scored a unanimous decision victory against Antonio Margarito to win the WBC's 154-pound title, becoming boxing's first eight-division champion.
- Also scored a unanimous decision over Shane Mosley in May 2011.