Manny Pacquiao's place among the greats in boxing history might have been secured Saturday night with a well-placed right jab and a solid left hand to the chin of David Diaz.
Before a largely pro-Filipino crowd of 8,362 that wildly cheered their hero's every move at Mandalay Bay Events Center, Pacquiao - now considered boxing's best pound-for-pound champion - won the World Boxing Council lightweight championship by knockout, 2 minutes, 24 seconds into the ninth round of the scheduled 12-round title bout.
Pacquiao leveled the bloodied but determined Diaz (34-2-1, 17 KOs) with a short left that was so devastating, the Chicago native landed face-first on the canvas.
"My first concern was for Diaz. I was praying he was all right," said Pacquiao, who opened cuts above his opponent's left ear and the bridge of his nose. But it was a huge gash that appeared above Diaz's right eye in the fourth round that sent blood pouring over his face.
"I tried to help him up," Pacquiao said after sending Diaz to the canvas. With Diaz face down, referee Vic Drakulich indicated the fight was over and Pacquiao climbed onto the corner ropes, prayed and raised his hands in celebration.
Diaz thought his boxing skills would help him score an upset.
"I had seen him on tape and felt I could handle his power," Diaz said. "But he's just too fast. I thought Freddie was in there hitting me, too."
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