MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao is again included in Forbes’ list of most powerful celebrities for 2012.Pacquiao, the world’s only eight-division boxing champion, was ranked No. 33 in Forbes’ “Celebrity 100 list.”
The fighting congressman from Sarangani province outranked the likes of TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres (No. 34) and film directors Michael Bay (No. 35) and George Lucas (No. 36).
His closest rival in boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was ranked No. 52.
Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez topped the list, unseating Lady Gaga who nabbed the No. 1 spot last year.
According to Forbes, Pacquiao has accumulated earnings of up to $64 million as of May 2012. Included in his revenues are his endorsement deals with Nike, Hewlett Packard and Hennessy.
“Pacquiao has become a pay-per-view stud with five fights each generating at least one million PPV buys during the past four years. Pacman has expanded his endorsement reach by signing deals with Monster Energy and Hennessy. Other partners include Nike and Hewlett-Packard. Pacquiao was elected to the House of Representatives in the Philippines in 2010 in a landslide victory,” says Forbes’ profile description of Pacquiao.
Pacquiao was ranked No. 57 in Forbes’ Celebrity 100 list in 2009.
Last April, Forbes also listed Pacquiao as the No. 4 Most Influential Athlete in 2012.
