Manny Pacquiao: 5 Things He Can Do to Become 2011's Fighter of the Year

Manny Pacquiao dominated and defeated Shane Mosley this past weekend, but is that enough to get him into the running for 2011's "Fighter of the Year," an award he has earned three times before?

The year opened up with many impressive performances on HBO and Showtime with many upsets, knockouts and Fight of the Year candidates.

Pacquiao's performance against Mosley did not do enough to fulfill fans' expectations of their pound-for-pound king.

He may still have one fight left in 2011, and his choice of opponent will be crucial to him earning the distinction as FOTY for a fourth time.

No. 5: Put on a Fight of the Year Candidate

It doesn't matter who it is against, but Pacquiao needs to make up for his less-than-exciting performance against Mosley.

The most exciting part of the bout was when Pacquiao dropped Mosley with a sharp left hand in the third round. Other than that, he spent most of the time chasing the four-time world champion across the ring.

"Vicious" Victor Ortiz is certainly on his way to being the FOTY if he puts on a performance like the one he did against previously unbeaten Andre Berto last month.

There were five knockdowns in the bout, but only four were counted. Berto was dropped twice in the first and Ortiz was dropped in the second. Both fighters exchanged knockdowns in the sixth. Ortiz won a unanimous decision in the end.

That kind of performance puts a young star like Ortiz at the top of the list and ahead of Pacquiao.

No. 4: Defeat Another Top Contender

This is the easiest thing for Pacquiao to do because he is at the top of the sport, and everyone he fights is going to be a top contender.

Whether they are past their prime or a fighter like Floyd Mayweather Jr., all he has to do is keep winning and dominating his opposition. This, if anything, will keep Pacquiao's name in the discussion.

If 2004 Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa provides more standout performances like he did when he knocked out Jorge Solis in March, expect him to be in consideration for Fighter of the Year. He finished Solis in half the time it took Pacquiao to do it.

The Cuban star may have lost his chance to be the best fighter of the year when future opponent Juan Manuel Lopez got knocked out in his bout with Orlando Salido. Gamboa already owns a win over Salido, so he can't go that route again.

It will be interesting to see who he takes on next.

No. 3: Knock out His Next Opponent

Pacquiao's last three bouts have all gone to a decision, and that is probably what kept him from being 2010's Fighter of the Year, which went to Sergio Martinez after he destroyed Paul Williams with a left hand.

He missed out on the biggest chance to distinguish himself from any of Mosley's other opponents by not getting the knockout. A KO over Mosley, who has an 18-year boxing career behind him, would have been one of the most impressive marks on his resume.

Another Filipino star and top bantamweight, Nonito Donaire, currently has the leading candidate for Knockout of the Year after he destroyed top pound-for-pound fighter Fernando Montiel in two rounds.

Pacquiao will need that type of knockout to catch up to his fellow countryman's position as a potential Fighter of the Year also.

No. 2: Beat Juan Manuel Marquez Convincingly

It was just announced today that Juan Manuel Marquez accepted the terms to fight the eight-division world champion for a third time.

The date will be November 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada if the bout goes through.

This will be the ultimate proving point for Pacquiao as Marquez is his toughest opponent of the last six years.

Their first match occurred in 2004 and resulted in a draw. After Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the first round, the Mexican warrior came back to counter-punch and out-box the Filipino superstar for the majority of the bout. One judge had Pacquiao winning by five points and the other had Marquez winning by five. One had it even.

The rematch was in 2008 and followed a similar pattern. Pacquiao dropped Marquez in the third round and ended up winning a split decision by one point, which came from the knockdown.

Marquez is currently on a two-fight win streak since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and should give Pacquiao another close and competitive fight.

No. 1: Outperform Sergio Martinez

Right now, No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter Sergio Martinez is the leading candidate for Fighter of the Year.

The only way Pacquiao can catch up to the Argentinian champion is by destroying his next opponent or fighting the middleweight himself, and that is probably more of a dream that it is a reality for boxing fans.

Martinez is a big middleweight and can even fight at super-middleweight if he wanted to. That may actually be his future route if he continues to run through good but unknown fighters like his last opponent, Serhiy Dzinziruk.

A bout with Nobuhiro Ishida may be next for him, and that is more than a worthy challenge after Ishida knocked out the previously unbeaten and hard-punching James Kirkland in the very first round.