The fight between Manny Pacquiao and David Diaz is at 135 pounds. Manny is moving up to try to take Diaz's title. This is Pacquiao's first fight at this weight class. Diaz is 32 years old and Pacquiao is 29. Manny has a record of 46-3-2 and 34 KOs. Diaz is 34-1-1 with 17 KOs.
It looks like a very strong Filipino turnout at Mandalay Bay. Lots of pro-Manny signs can be seen. The fighters aren't even in the ring yet and the crowd already starts an enthusiastic "Manny" chant.
Pacquiao comes to the ring first since he is the challenger. Diaz follows. Fernando Vargas accompanies Diaz to the ring.
It's time for the main event!
Rd 1: The fighters touch gloves to start. Manny starts with his lunging jab and the crowd starts chanting. Diaz tags Manny with a left. Diaz scores with two more shots upstairs. Manny answers back with flurries. Manny's punches look fast as usual, but Diaz looks like he came to fight. Manny hits Diaz and knocks him a bit off balance. Manny now starts throwing a lot of combos. Manny's defense looks good as he dodges two of Diaz's hooks. Diaz catches Manny with 2 hard shots in a clinch. Now Manny rocks Diaz hard with four hard shots to the head.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 2: Diaz starts with some jabs. Manny starts to work an uppercut. Diaz answers back and catches Manny between punches. Now Manny swings away and lands the majority. Diaz works the body. Manny now rocks Diaz and Diaz stumbles. Diaz seems to be weathering the storm though. Diaz now fires back as Manny opens up a cut on Diaz's nose.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 3: Diaz comes out on the offensive and swings away. Manny blocks some but also gets hit. Now Manny goes back to work and throws the combos. Diaz's chin is being tested, and his nose continues to stream with blood. Pacquiao is throwing a lot with his right hand and it is scoring. Diaz continues to get hit but punches out to break the combo. Diaz lands two body shots before the bell.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 4: Manny is using his footwork throughout the fight and dances around Diaz. Manny now works the body and mixes up and switches to the head. Diaz swings back and clocks Manny. The ref stops the action so Diaz's cut can be examined. He is cleared to continue. Manny lands a blistering counter punch and Diaz wobbles. Diaz is clearly stunned - he can't take Manny's speed. Diaz tries to set up combos with the jab now. Another cut opens above Diaz's right eye. His face is a bloody mess. Diaz gets another huge shot to the head but he shakes his head. Diaz now concentrates on the body. Manny backs Diaz against the ropes but Diaz fights out.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 5: Manny continues to circle Diaz, hitting from odd angles. Diaz now shows off his upper body movement but continues to get hit in the head. Manny raises his arms mid-round. Diaz continues to fight back but Manny looks like he can see Diaz's punches coming. Diaz lands a body shot and a head shot; Manny continues to come forward. Diaz hits Manny again and momentarily stops the Manny onslaught.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 6: Diaz's blood is now coming into his eye but he continues to come forward. Manny throws right hooks and scores. Diaz's legs look less sharp than they did earlier in the fight. Manny lands a wicked counter punch and knocks Diaz's head back. Manny snaps his head back again with a jab. Now he throws a vicious combo that all lands. Diaz stumbles hard. The ref stops the fight again to look at Diaz's cut and the ring doc says that he is okay to continue. Diaz lunges forward but misses at the bell.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 7: Between the rounds, Diaz says to his trainer, "It's not his punches, he's just too fast." Pacquiao starts aiming for Diaz's cut and more blood flows. Diaz swings by lunging forward but gets tagged on the way in. Manny lands another combo and Diaz stumbles again. Diaz continues to leap in and get hit. Diaz misses with an uppercut and gets hit again on the way in. Diaz now lands to Manny's body and mixes it up with a shot upstairs and lands. One of the closer rounds but I still definitely give it to Manny.
Spartan117: 10-9 Pacquiao
Rd 8: Manny shows no signs of slowing down and throws combos at will. Diaz doesn't look like he has a solution for Manny's blinding speed. Manny now leaps forward and lands a left hook and I thought Diaz would go down for sure, but he stays up and takes tons more punishment against the ropes. Diaz swings out. Lampley and Steward, the commentators, think that the fight should be stopped. Diaz gets horribly rocked against the ropes. The ref is looking at Diaz and appears to be deciding if Diaz can continue.
Spartan117: 10-8 Pacquiao
Rd 9: Diaz's punch output is dropping as the fight continues. Diaz now swings more but his punches are off the mark and don't have much on them. Diaz lands a straight left. Manny lands a hard jab and straight left and staggers Diaz. Diaz looks like he's going to go down any second. Manny is now stalking Diaz around the ring. Diaz finally goes down from a vicious left, collapsing onto the canvas. He has nothing left and the ref stops the fight.
The winner by KO in the 9th round... and new WBC lightweight champion... Manny Pacquiao.
Manny says he trained to unleash power and speed and prepared to do it at this weight class. He says he was surprised that Diaz lasted as long as he did. He also says he trained to work the left hand. Manny says it's the promoter's job to find his next opponent and he's not looking to fight anyone in particular. Lamply asks Manny if he thinks he's the best pound-for-pound boxer. Manny doesn't directly answer the question and thanks the fans.
Diaz has a more vulgar post-fight interview. "He was just too f****** fast," he says. He says Pacman's punches were so fast that he thought trainer Freddy Roach was in there hitting him too. Diaz says that Pacquiao deserves to be called the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
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