SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) — WBC super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao built on his growing reputation as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world with an eighth round knockout of the previously undefeated Mexican Jorge Solis on Saturday.
The Filipino improved his record to 44-3-2 with 34 knockouts when he sent Solis to the canvas 40 seconds into the eighth round of a scheduled 12-round bout at the Alamodome.
A groggy Solis barely got back onto his feet, only to have “Pacman” floor him again with a devastating series of power punches that left the challenger unable to beat the count 1:16 into the round.
Pacquiao was spurred into action when a Solis head butt opened a cut over his left eye in the sixth round.
“That gave me determination,” Pacquaio told reporters. “I decided to quit fooling around and go finish the fight.”
Solis was the clear crowd favorite among the 14,793 spectators at a venue less than 150 miles (240 km) from the Mexican border.
Mexican flags filled the arena, but after Pacquiao’s decisive victory, he was mobbed with hugs and congratulations from the small but enthusiastic contingent of supporters from The Philippines.
Pacquiao is not only a national hero in his home country, but he is also a candidate for Congress in the May 14 national elections.
Two signs in the Alamodome read “Pacman for President.”
The fight was broadcast live in hotels and other venues throughout The Phillipines, where it started at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.
In the opening rounds, Pacquiao appeared surprised by the greater reach of the challenger, who was three inches taller.
But as the fight wore in, the champion’s ability to deliver flurries of punches in quick succession frequently had Solis on the ropes.
Bleeding By the seventh round, Solis was bleeding from a cut to the nose and was repeatedly knocked off balance by his opponent’s relentless punches.
Pacquiao threw 342 punches to Solis’ 149, connecting on 109 to 43 for the challenger.
“He was very tough and he came to fight,” Pacquiao said of the challenger, whose record slipped to 32-1-2.
“When you have a zero in the loss column, you don’t want to lose for the first time.”
Solis called his first loss a great learning experience.
“He has very surprising speed. You don’t see the punches coming.”
Pacquiao’s next fight is expected to be against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez, the WBC super bantamweight champion.
