MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao has been included in Sport Illustrated’s list of 50 fittest athletes in the world.
The Filipino boxing icon, who was ranked 39th, registered scores of 6.5 for speed, 5 for strength, 6.5 for agility and 6 for endurance for a total rating of 24.
Pacquiao ranked higher than American swimmer Ryan Lochte (47th) and football star Reggie Bush (41st).
The fighting congressman’s rival to the pound-for-pound throne, Floyd Mayweather Jr., ranked way higher at fourth with a rating of 36.
Pacquiao will face Chris Algieri in November while Mayweather will take on Marcos Maidana in a September rematch.
Other prominent athletes who made the list include NBA stars Dwight Howard (36), Ray Allen (30), Blake Griffin (14) and Serge Ibaka (7); mixed martial arts standouts George St. Pierre (25) and Jon Jones; tennis superstar Roger Federer (31); many-time Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps (10) and Usain Bolt (3); and soccer heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo (2).
Four-time NBA MVP LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers topped the list with an overall rating of 40.
Sports Illustrated published the list to stress the importance of fitness for professional athletes, saying “it is the very foundation of success.”
The athletes were assessed using a 40-point rating system based on four criteria: strength, speed, endurance and agility.
Meanwhile, British boxer Amir Khan believes he and Manny Pacquiao will still cross paths in the future.
Although Pacquiao is already booked to face Algieri on Nov. 23 in Macau, Khan is not giving up on a future showdown with the Filipino icon.
“The Manny fight can still happen at some point,” Khan (23-3, with 19 KOs) said in an article by Donald McRae of The Guardian.