Ring Mag lauds Pacquiao for relinquishing feather belt

The prestigious Ring Magazine, considered as "The Bible of Boxing", has nothing but words of respect and praise for Filipino sports hero Manny Pacquiao for relinquishing his Ring Magazine featherweight belt.

Ring Magazine recognized Pacquiao as its featherweight champion after the Filipino boxer’s masterful 11th round destruction of Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera on Nov. 16, 2003 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

But last June, Pacquiao wrote a formal letter to Ring Magazine signifying his intent to vacate his throne as the General Santos City fighter will now be campaigning in the junior lightweight division.

"Speaking of good guys, I’d like to thank Manny Pacquiao for taking appropriate action and relinquishing his Ring featherweight title, which he did in writing during the early part of June," stated Ring editor-in-chief Nigel Collins in his Ringside column in the magazine’s October 2005 issue.

"Pacquiao, who will now campaign as a junior lightweight, was aware that The Ring does not strip champions of belts won inside the ring, and could have procrastinated. But that might have denied other fighters the opportunity to vie for the now-vacant belt," added Collins.

"Like most fighters, Pacquiao is an honorable man and did the right thing. That’s the way boxing is supposed to work.

" Pacquiao is presently in the thick of rigid preparation for his Sept. 10 bout against Mexican Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Pacquiao’s tormentor Erik Morales will also appear in the same card against 1996 USA Olympian Zahir Rahim capping a pair of 12-rounder bouts topbilling Top Rank’s "Double Trouble" slugfest.

If Pacquiao and Morales both win, they will figure in an expected grudge rematch either in January 2006.