Jessica Sanchez Is Ideal Choice to Sing National Anthem Before Pacquiao vs. Rios

Setting the appropriate tone for Saturday night's crucial battle between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will be essential. 

As such, it's a good thing that Jessica Sanchez will sing the national anthems. 

The 18-year-old is no stranger to the limelight. 

A stage performer since she was seven years old, Sanchez is already a veteran at wowing national audiences. When she was 10, she sang at the Apollo for a Whoopi Goldberg television show. A year later, she appeared on America's Got Talent.

Then, in the least surprising development ever, she made it onto Season 11 of American Idol at just 16 years of age, advancing all the way to the final before losing to some guy with the same first and last name.

Such experience for someone so young is rare, but it doesn't even stop there for her. 

She has the whole national anthem thing down pat—among other events and venues, she has performed the song at the White House, at Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals and before Pacquiao's bout with Timothy Bradley. 

So, when Pac-Man asked Sanchez to do it again, it wasn't surprising that this was her response:

Of course, it goes further than Sanchez's experience and booming vocals. Born in Chula Vista, Calif., the young performer is the daughter of a Mexican-American father and Filipino mother, which means she can sing the national anthems of both the United States and the Philippines.

In a battle between the Filipino Pacquiao and American Rios, that's kind of important. 

Sanchez may not be everyone's favorite choice. Different people have different tastes—that's understandable. But her combination of talent, experience and heritage makes her the perfect choice for the prestigious-yet-still-somehow-underrated job.