"He's not only a tremendous man, a tremendous artist, but he's also someone who I call my friend ... in a very difficult industry," said Cuban-American singer Pitbull, referring to salsa legend Marc Anthony as he presented him with the Premio a la Excelencia Award last night at the Premio lo Nuestro Awards, which aired on Univision Newtwork.

A nervous Pitbull, who gushed with admiration of Anthony, saying it was a great honor to present the award, added some humor to the emotional moment, He joked that he and Anthony were in love with the same woman -- as Anthony pretended to take off his jacket to start a fight -- then Pitbull said, Cuban salsa icon,Celia Cruz. The two embraced and then Anthony captivated the audience with his appreciation.

Two-time Grammy and four-time Latin Grammy Award-winning singer, who is also the top-selling tropical salsa artists of all-time -- he's sold 12 million albums worldwide --  proved why he is so deserving with the prominent accolade.

Prior to accepting the award, the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, who is also a record and TV producer and actor, gave a stellar performance of three of his greatest hits, including "Tu Amor Me Hace Bien," "Cambio de Piel" and "Vivir Mi Vida."

Filled with emotion, Anthony got all choked up and teary during his speech and dedicated the award to his children -- 5-year-old twins, Max and Emme with ex-wife and Puerto Rican megastar Jennifer Lopez, two sons, Cristian and Ryan with ex-wife and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres, and daughter, Ariana, with ex-girlfriend and NYC police officer Debbie Rosado.  

Besides winning the most prominent award of the night, Anthony nabbed four Premio Lo Nuestro, thus making him one of the biggest winners of the night.

Not only is Premio Lo Nuestro the longest running and most popular Latin music awards show in the U.S., it' s the preeminent Latin music "people's choice" award, as all of the winners are chosen directly by fans voting on www.PremioLoNuestro.com, according to Univision. Launched in 1988, the awards are bestowed annually to recognize excellence in four musical genres-Pop, Tropical, Regional Mexican, and Urban.