Pacquiao beats Margarito, claims 8th world title
November 14, 2010 03:23 pm
Manny Pacquiao cemented his place in the pantheon of boxing greats by recording a unanimous points victory over Antonio Margarito to claim the vacant WBC super welterweight title.
The 31-year-old southpaw dominated all 12 rounds against his bigger Mexican opponent at Cowboys Stadium to land an eighth world title in an unprecedented eighth weight class.
Having already established himself as one of the best offensive fighters of all time, Pacquiao outclassed Margarito with his lightning hand speed and precise punching to improve his career record to 52-3-2 with 38 knockouts.
“It’s hard,” Pacquiao said ringside after winning his 13th consecutive fight since losing to Erik Morales in Las Vegas in March 2005. “I really do my best to win the fight.
“He’s strong. I never expected him to be as strong as he was. He’s a very tough fighter. I can’t believe he took all those punches.”
The Filipino, a heavily odds-on favourite going into the fight, pummelled the Mexican’s head virtually at will for much of the bout, leaving his opponent with a badly swollen right eye and a puffed left eye.
Despite being outweighed by 17 pounds, Pacquiao blended raw power with speed to deliver a dominant performance against an opponent who was also five inches taller.
At one point during the 11th round, Pacquiao looked at referee Laurence Cole and asked him to stop the fight.
“I feel for my opponent, his eyes and his bloody face,” the Filipino said. “I wanted the ref to look at that.
Three-times world champion Margarito, back in the ring for the first time in the United States since he lost to American Shane Mosley in a WBC welterweight title bout in January 2009, slipped to (38-7, 27 KOs).
- Reuters
The 31-year-old southpaw dominated all 12 rounds against his bigger Mexican opponent at Cowboys Stadium to land an eighth world title in an unprecedented eighth weight class.
Having already established himself as one of the best offensive fighters of all time, Pacquiao outclassed Margarito with his lightning hand speed and precise punching to improve his career record to 52-3-2 with 38 knockouts.
“It’s hard,” Pacquiao said ringside after winning his 13th consecutive fight since losing to Erik Morales in Las Vegas in March 2005. “I really do my best to win the fight.
“He’s strong. I never expected him to be as strong as he was. He’s a very tough fighter. I can’t believe he took all those punches.”
The Filipino, a heavily odds-on favourite going into the fight, pummelled the Mexican’s head virtually at will for much of the bout, leaving his opponent with a badly swollen right eye and a puffed left eye.
Despite being outweighed by 17 pounds, Pacquiao blended raw power with speed to deliver a dominant performance against an opponent who was also five inches taller.
At one point during the 11th round, Pacquiao looked at referee Laurence Cole and asked him to stop the fight.
“I feel for my opponent, his eyes and his bloody face,” the Filipino said. “I wanted the ref to look at that.
Three-times world champion Margarito, back in the ring for the first time in the United States since he lost to American Shane Mosley in a WBC welterweight title bout in January 2009, slipped to (38-7, 27 KOs).
- Reuters
