Manny Pacquiao, boxing's pound-for-pound king and a newly-elected legislator in the Philippines, accepted his third Fighter of the Year award on Friday from the Boxing Writers Association of America.

"Tonight I overflow with joy and gratitude," Pacquiao said.

"I am thankful that, just like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and other boxers, I decided to get into boxing."

After a 2009 that included a spectacular second-round knockout of Ricky Hatton and a punishing 12th-round stoppage of Miguel Cotto that gave him titles in a record seven divisions, Pacquiao was the overwhelming winner in voting by the organisation's members.

He was also named Fighter of the Decade.

"I confronted poverty by trusting God and dreaming big," Pacquiao said.

"I was convinced I could succeed in boxing. The boxing ring could be the breeding ground for my dreams."

Pacquiao, who was accompanied by his wife, stayed in New York last night to see Cotto challenge junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman in the first fight at the new Yankee Stadium - more than 30 years after the last fight at the original Yankee Stadium.