ANOTHER PACMAN VICTORY

TO fight against a big name like Oscar De La Hoya was already a dream come true for Manny Pacquiao. And to win against boxing’s “Golden Boy” would make it sweeter.

Pacquiao accomplished the sweeter feat as the world lightweight champion fashioned out an impressive eighth-round TKO victory over the legendary De La Hoya on Sunday (Philippine time) in their cross-divisional “Dream Match” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

The Filipino boxing icon started strong right at the opening bell to dictate the tempo of the match.

Pacquiao continued his onslaught in the next round, landing several lefts to the face of the former six-division champion, and never let up.

De La Hoya demonstrated a bit of his skills in the fifth round only to be peppered anew thereafter.

Pacquiao, who refused to be called “The Mexicutioner”, was indeed a Mexicutioner as he battered De La Hoya into a corner and made a punching bag out of the bigger and taller Mexican-American that swelled the latter’s eye shut in the seventh round.

Round 8 was likewise an all-Pacquiao show as he went on throwing lefts and rights on a somewhat resigned De La Hoya, whose corner threw in the towel after the round.

Pacquiao also made boxing history by winning in three different weight divisions in one year. He edged junior-lightweight rival Juan Manuel Marquez in March and stopped lightweight David Diaz in the ninth round in June.

The triumph improved the “Pacman’s” win-loss-draw record to 47-3-2, while it was the “Golden Boy’s” sixth defeat in 45 fights.

“Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter,” the 35-year-old De La Hoya said. “He deserves all the credits in the world. We fight a tremendous fight and he was a better man and he deserves all the accolades and he deserves everything that he has accomplished and I wish him all the best.”

In response, Pacquiao, who stands to get $11 million (roughly P540 million) from this fight, said: “Whatever happens you are still my idol.”

The fight was so lopsided and De La Hoya looked so inept that it could spell the end for boxing's richest and most marketable star.

De La Hoya, however, said: “My heart still wants to fight that’s for sure. But when you can no longer respond, then what can you do. We’ll see what happens. I love the sport. When it’s not your night and a true champion like Manny beats you, obviously there is another day tomorrow.”

It was really a day of stoppages as five of the scheduled seven supporting bouts also came out abbreviated.

Victor Ortiz of Oxnard, California stopped Jeffrey Resto in the second round to keep his North American Boxing Organization junior-welterweight championship in the main supporting event.

Ortiz went to work right at the opening bell and floored Resto twice with solid punches to the face and body. The defending champion continued his onslaught in the second canto and scored a technical-knockout victory in 1:19.

The win improved Ortiz’s win-loss-draw record to 23-1-1.

World Boxing Organization junior-featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez of Caguas, Puerto Rico likewise retained his title via a first-round TKO win over Sergio Medina of Salta, Argentina.

Lopez downed Medina thrice, prompting the referee to stop the fight 1:38 in the opening round.

It was Lopez’s 24th straight win in as many bouts, while Medina suffered his second loss in 35 fights.

In the bout of super-middleweights, unbeaten Daniel Jacobs of Brooklyn, New York scored his 12th KO in 13 fights by stopping Victor Lares 2:44 of the second round. Lares dropped his record to 14-4.

Earlier, Adrien Broner and Roberto Marroquin also scored early stoppages against their respective opponents.

Broner stopped Scott Furney in the first round of the second bout, while Marroquin knocked out Isaac Hidalgo also in the opening stage of the curtain-raiser.

In the other bouts, junior-welterweight Danny Garcia outpointed Jose Alfredo Lugo in the fourth fight of the night and Jose Angel Beranza, in the third match, beat erstwhile undefeated Jesus Rojas via unanimous decision.(Sunnex)



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