LAS VEGAS. — Manny Pacquiao stunned 10-time
world champion Oscar De La Hoya with an eighth-round technical
knockout win in their non-title fight in Las Vegas on Saturday
(Sunday in Manila).
Moving up two weight classes for his first
fight at welterweight, World Boxing Council lightweight champion
Pacquiao dominated De La Hoya from the opening bell, defying the
American’s longer reach and picking him off with straight left
hands to the face.
Clearly ahead after the first few rounds,
Pacquiao backed De La Hoya up against the ropes and opened up
with combinations in the seventh and eighth. At the end of the
eighth round, De La Hoya’s trainer signaled he had seen enough
and the referee stopped the fight.
"From the first round, I knew we had him,"
said Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach. "He had no legs, he was
hesitant, he was shot."
As Pacquiao celebrated, De La Hoya walked
across the ring to Roach.
"I’m OK," he said. "I just don’t have it any
more."
Widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound
fighter in the world, Pacquiao was still the underdog entering
the bout as De La Hoya was favored to defeat the smaller man by
utilizing his longer reach and stiff left jab.
However, it was the Filipino’s jab that
looked superior, keeping De La Hoya at bay as he bounced on his
toes and waited for openings to throw his straight left hand.
"I knew right away I would win this fight,"
said Pacquiao.
"I controlled the fight. I was able to defend
against his jab. I was able to connect with everything; he was
able to connect with nothing."
Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) looked ahead to a
possible clash with Britain’s light-welterweight champion Ricky
Hatton, who won in the same ring two weeks ago.
"I will fight him anywhere they want if the
price is right," said Pacquiao. "But not until after I take a
long vacation."
After an explosive first few rounds, the pace
dipped slightly in the fifth and sixth, as De La Hoya seemed
increasingly reluctant to leave himself open to Pacquiao’s
punches.
But in the seventh, Pacquiao turned up the
heat.
A series of right hooks to the head backed De
La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) up against the ropes. Pacquiao opened up
with fierce combinations that forced "The Golden Boy" to cover
up as referee Tony Weeks kept a close eye on how much damage De
La Hoya was taking.
The eighth was even more lopsided with De La
Hoya offering no resistance backed to the ropes and Pacquiao
unloading with impunity.
As a dejected De La Hoya sat in his corner at
the end of the round, his trainer Nacho Beristain signaled he
had seen enough and Weeks called a halt to the contest.
"I’m not shocked," said De La Hoya.
"At this stage, when you fight someone like
Manny Pacquiao, it’s going to be a tough fight. I felt flat. I
just didn’t have it."
Asked about the prospect of retirement, De La Hoya said, "We
will have to wait and see." – Reuters
