its amazing that the laureus awards finally gave a glance to the sports of boxing. i've always thought the organizers of this award looks only at sports that thrive with corporate sponsors (golf, tennis, etc) and the winners are those with big corporate backing like federer, tigerwoods, shumacher, etc.
Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Nominees * Kobe Bryant * Andres Iniesta * Lionel Messi * Rafael Nadal * Manny Pacquiao * Sebastian Vettel http://www.laureus.com/awards/2011/nominees
Laureus would give the award to the one with the most lucrative corporate deals and the one with the biggest potential market. The award is sponsored by corporations looking for the face of the sport, one that they can sell and would sell the greatest amount of their products.
Well, I don´t think much of the award and I´m not a real fan of Pac but that is impressive and a great thing for boxing. :good