LAS VEGAS: Manny Pacquiao battered Oscar de la Hoya for eight straight rounds in a stunning stoppage that may have spelled the end of the career of arguably the sport?s most popular fighter.
In a masterly display of speed and power, Pacquiao won every round with his blinding power punches to the body and the head, before 15,000 spectators at the MGM Grand here on Saturday (Sunday in the Philippines).
Richie ?Magnum? Mepranum made it a double victory for the Philippines as he outclassed Cesar Lopez of El Paso, Texas, in an undercard flyweight fight of the Pacquiao-de la Hoya ?Dream Match.?
President Gloria Arroyo and Vice President Noli de Castro separately congratulated Pacquiao, calling his triumph a reflection of ?the spirit of the Filipino.? De Castro had flown to Las Vegas to watch the bout.
By the seventh round, Pacquiao was pummeling de la Hoya with power punches almost at will. De la Hoya remained standing, but with one eye closed and his defense almost gone, Pacquiao knew it was just a matter of time.
De la Hoya?s left eye was swollen shut as he sat on his stool after the eighth round and the ring doctor, referee and his cornermen decided the fight was over. De la Hoya offered no objections and walked to the center of the ring to congratulate the victor.
?You are still my idol,? Pacquiao told de la Hoya, a fighter he said he idolized, after the two hugged in the middle of the ring.
?No, you are my idol,? de la Hoya retorted.
The vanquished de la Hoya, perhaps the most popular boxer of his generation, admitted that he had lost to a ?great champion.?
?He?s just a great fighter,? he said of Pacquiao. ?I have nothing bad to say about him. He fought like a true champion.?
With the victory, Pacquiao, ?PacMan? to his legions of fans worldwide, unequivocally established himself as the finest fighter of his generation and cemented his hold on the undisputed No. 1 pound-for-pound champion of the world.
Ring pundits said the Filipino icon?s sensational win is even more significant in the context of his other great accomplishments this year?winning two world championship belts at junior lightweight, lightweight and then beating the six-division champion de la Hoya at welterweight.
Veteran HBO ring commentator Bill Lampley likened Pacquiao?s feat to that of the legendary Henry Armstrong, the only boxer in history to hold three world titles simultaneously. Armstrong won titles at the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions.
De la Hoya, or ?Golden Boy,? hinted his career might be over after suffering his most devastating defeat in his career.
?My heart still wants to fight, that?s for sure,? he said. ?But when your physical doesn?t respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans.?
De la Hoya absorbed such a beating that he was taken to a hospital afterward for what was described as a precautionary examination.
Entering the fight a 2-1 favorite, he won just one round on one ringside scorecard and none on the other two against the smaller Pacquiao who went after him from the opening bell on.
?We knew we had him after the first round,? Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. ?He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot.?
Roach, who trained de la Hoya in his last big fight against Floyd Mayweather last year, said it is obvious de la Hoya ?has seen better days.?
And Pacquiao magnified this impression as he fearlessly attacked de la Hoya throughout the match, and never allowed him to get into groove.
?Freddie, you?re right,? de la Hoya told the trainer after the fight. ?I just don?t have it anymore.?
If de la Hoya decides to retire, it will be the end of a remarkable career that started when he won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and went on to become the biggest box-office attraction in the sport, fighting some of the best fighters of his time.
It was sweet victory for Pacquiao, who offered the fight to God and to his country of 90 million people.
He delivered on his promise that he will surprise the boxing world using his vaunted speed.
?That?s what we were focused on every day in the gym, speed, speed would be the key to this fight,? Pacquiao said. ?I trained hard for this fight, and that?s why I deserve [to win] tonight.?
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 knockouts) came up two weight classes to fight for his biggest purse ever, while de la Hoya dropped down from middleweight to the agreed welterweight limit at 147 pounds.
Pacquiao will earn a guaranteed $11 million, while de la Hoya was expected to make at least twice that by the time all the pay-per-view revenues are totaled up.
Though de la Hoya (39-6) towered over Pacquiao and had a six-inch reach advantage, the Filipino star had no trouble countering de la Hoya?s jabs with blistering body shots that slowed down de la Hoya.
Fight statistics showed Pacquiao landing 224 of 585 punches to just 83 of 402 for de la Hoya. — With Isagani Palma, Angelo S. Samonte And Llanesca T. Panti
