Another Victory for Manny Pacquiao!

Las Vegas, Nevada, December 6, 2008 - Manny Pacquiao did it again! After eight, very lopsided rounds on, Oscar de La Hoya was slumped in the corner, no doubt reeling after the painful four-punch combo that Manny delivered at the end of the 8th round. The fight, held on Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, looked promising for both at the start of the match, with De La Hoya opening with a few aggressive punches. However, Pacquiao was able to counter with a straight left and a couple of solid combination.

The Golden Boy started to unravel as early as the second round, especially after a couple of successful lead lefts by Manny. With Pacman’s lightning fast jabs de la Hoya’s face was getting redder by the minute, and it didn’t stop when round three opened with another successful lead left from Pacquiao. Round five saw de La Hoya trying to regain his footing with a jab, but after a few seconds Manny was landing jabs and right hooks that clearly took a toll on De La Hoya.

He was already sporting a swollen left eye at the start of the sixth, when a straight hard left from Manny sent De La Hoya’s head flying back. Clearly, the match is going Pacquiao’s way, and De La Hoya’s eye took another beating with a strong right by Manny at the end of the round. The Mexican opened the seventh round with a lead right, which was promptly countered by a three punch combination by Manny. Manny’s attacks back De La Hoya into a corner and the jabs started flying, all spelling big trouble for De La Hoya. Manny continued his streak well into the eighth round, raining double jabs and combinations on De La Hoya. Oscar was able to connect with a lead right and one to the body, but the eighth round clearly went to Pacquiao.

The fight was officially over just as the next round was set to begin, after the ring doctor, the referee and De La Hoya’s cornermen decided that he had had enough. Pacquiao was declared the winner by TKO at round 8, reaffirming his status as the world’s greatest pound-for-pound champion. He was able to land a total of 224 out of 585 of his punches compared to De La Hoya’s 83 out of 402.

Despite the defeat De La Hoya showed exemplary grace when he got up from his corner and shook Manny’s hand.

“You’re still my idol,” Manny was heard telling him.

“No, you’re my idol,” De La Hoya replied.

He told Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach right after the fight, “Freddie, you’re right. I just don’t have it anymore.” He was taken to the hospital for a precautionary examination immediately after the match. It is unclear whether he plans to fight again, as his camp has previously stated that this will be his last. “My heart still wants to fight, that’s for sure,” De La Hoya was heard saying. “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.”

Pacquiao is expected to make $11 million from the match, his biggest purse ever, while De La Hoya stands to pocket more than twice that amount from Pay-Per-View revenues.