March 19th, 2005 was likely a humbling night for Manny Pacquiao. Inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada Pacquiao would stage a memorable back and forth affair with Tijuana?s Erik Morales at 130 pounds. Pacquiao was the favorite heading in, as Morales was coming off of a gut-wrenching loss to bitter rival Marco Antonio Barrera, but this was not to be his night as Morales digged deep and surprised the Filipino fighter with his infighting and ability to absorb punches. When the dust had settled Morales walked away with a decision win by scores of 115-113 across the board and Pacquiao was dealt his first loss in nearly six years.
Despite fighting valiantly Pacquiao appeared to show limitations inside of the ring on this night as Morales was simply the better fighter, often outfighting his younger foe. Many people tagged Pacquiao with the label of a ?one trick pony?, claiming he didn?t have the ability to box and adapt, and there were certainly question marks surrounding his future. In looking back at how everything has transpired from that disappointing night until now you will be hard pressed to find a fighter who has accomplished as much or defied expectations like Pacquiao has.
Following that loss to Morales we have seen Pacquiao compile a 12-0 record with eight stoppages against some of the world?s biggest stars. What has been most noteworthy during that run has been his growth as a fighter and ability to have success despite rising in weight, as he has won titles at 130, 135, 140 and 147 pounds. It?s been a remarkable run, one that very few would have ever imagined.
Pacquiao?s final days in the Jr. Lightweight class saw him extract revenge against Morales, defeat former champion and very credible Oscar Larios, stopJorge Solis, defeat Morales a second time in their rematch and also defeat Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez in return bouts. It was business as usual outside of the Marquez affair, which was a riveting bout that was full of ebbs and flows and could have went either direction, and Pacquiao soon set his sights on the Lightweight division.
In June of 2008 Pacquiao met up with rugged Chicago native David Diaz at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Up until that point Diaz was known best for his workmanlike approach in the ring and ability to overcome adversity, as seen in his title winning effort against Jose Armando Santa Cruz. Diaz was escorted to the ring by former champion ?Ferocious? Fernando Vargas who had claimed his friend would be too big and strong for Pacquiao but the Oxnard, California native couldn?t have been more wrong on this night.
Over nine one-sided rounds Pacquiao would dissect Diaz and counter him with punishing shots from his southpaw style. Pacquiao was focused and attacked his foe with a calculated precision that very few fighters possessed. The end came in the 9th as Diaz hit the deck after a viscous Pacquiao volley and was in no shape to continue. It was an impressive win as Manny claimed the WBC lightweight championship but it would be in his next fight that Pacquiao truly would shock the boxing establishment.
(Click here for more images of Pacquiao vs. Diaz)
When it was announced in the fall that Pacquiao would be moving up two full divisions to challenge superstar Oscar De La Hoya the news was met with confusion and even laughter from some. It was presumed that De La Hoya, who had competed as high as 160 pounds, would simply be too big for Pacquiao and there were even jokes and images online poking fun at the size discrepancy between the two men. Needless to say Pacquiao obviously had something up his sleeve.
In front of a shocked crowd at the MGM Grand Pacquiao would pull off the unthinkable and not only defeat De La Hoya but dominate him in a fashion that hadn?t been done before. Leading up to the contest trainer Freddie Roach was adamant about his belief that Oscar couldn?t ?pull the trigger? anymore with his punches and sure enough Pacquiao was able to land effectively while staying out of danger. After getting bludgeoned for eight rounds De La Hoya would simply stay seated on his stool and refused to answer the bell for the ninth round. Pacquiao had defied the odds but his journey was just beginning.
Up next for Manny was a lucrative bout with once-beaten Ricky Hatton, who had a huge following in his native England. Dubbed The Battle of East and West the bout figured to be competitive due to Hatton?s bruising style inside of the ring. Hatton was at his best in defeating Jr. Welterweight kingpin Kostya Tszyu in June of 2005 in an inspirational outing but showed limitations in his stoppage loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. a few years later.
Against Hatton we were able to see the best of Pacquiao as he stormed off to an early lead in front of an electric crowd at the MGM Grand. Hatton was swarmed early and had no answer for the quick punches coming his way. Hatton suffered two knockdowns in the first round and appeared to be in serious trouble. In the second Ricky was absolutely flattened with a picturesque left hand and Pacquiao?s inspirational story continued..
