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Referee Kenny Bayless, right, stops the super featherweight boxing match
between Erik Morales, bottom, of Mexico, and Manny Pacquiao, top, of
the Philippines, at the Thomas and Mack center in Las Vegas on
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. Paquiao won on a technical
knockout. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
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Pacquiao knocks out Morales to win showdown
By Tim Dahlberg, AP Boxing Writer
January 22, 2006
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Manny Pacquiao was sure of two things after giving Erik Morales the beating of his career.
He is one of the two best 130-pounders in the world, and still the hero of his homeland.
"I know everyone in the Philippines is happy," Pacquiao said.
Ecstatic would be a better word after Pacquiao avenged his defeat last March to Morales by pummeling him around the ring and finally dropping him twice in the 10th round to end the highly anticipated fight.
No title was at stake Saturday night, but plenty of national pride was as possibly the best fighter to come out of the Philippines stopped one of Mexico's legendary brawlers in a fight that was entertaining but lopsided in the late rounds.
It was the first time Morales had been stopped, and it came with a spectacular performance by a fighter who never stopped punching.
The end came at 2:33 of the 10th round when Morales, who had barely gotten up in time from the first knockdown of the round, was knocked back down with a flurry of punches and referee Kenny Bayless wasted no time in stopping the fight.
"I saw I hurt him every time I hit him in the body," Pacquiao said.
Morales' face was a mess of welts, and he had lumps on his forehead and head. It was the third loss in the last four fights for the Mexican, who had held titles in three different weight classes but has been in some bruising fights.
All three ringside judges had Pacquiao ahead before the final round.
For Morales, it may have been an indication that, at the age of 29, he has taken too many punches over his career to remain an elite fighter.
Morales, who lost his last fight at 135 pounds and then came down in weight for Pacquiao, seemed to say as much.
"I was tired because of making weight and I was tired because of all the tough fights I've had," Morales said.
Pacquiao was paid $2 million for the fight, and both he and Morales earned it by bringing in their supporters among a crowd of 14,618 at the UNLV campus arena.
There's even more money on the horizon, with Pacquiao possibly meeting the other great 130-pounder, Marco Antonio Barrera, in a rematch of their first fight.
Pacquiao stopped Barrera in the 11th round of that November 2003 fight, a huge upset at the time. But now he has successfully moved up to 130 pounds and showed Saturday night that his rise to the top was no fluke.
Morales (48-4) had beaten Pacquiao in a 12-round decision last March, a loss Pacquiao blamed on problems with his promoter, his taxman and his gloves. He went into the ring Saturday saying he was 100 percent and that there would be no excuses, win or lose.
Trainer Freddie Roach said the plan had been to get inside Morales' jab this time and outwork him on the inside. It worked to near perfection, mainly because Pacquiao kept relentless pressure on Morales.
"His right hook was beautiful," Roach said. "But we still have to work on his defense a little bit."
Pacquiao said he knew as the rounds went on that the fight was his.
"I could see he was having problems taking my punches," Pacquiao said. "I had no problem taking his."
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