Pacquiao defeats De La Hoya in eight lopsided rounds

Pacquiao defeats De La Hoya in eight lopsided rounds


By J. Michael Falgoust, USA TODAY
LAS VEGAS — Oscar De La Hoya walked across the ring at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night and uttered the most poignant words of his career:
"You were right, Freddie," he said to Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao's trainer, "I just don't have it anymore."

Roach trained De La Hoya for one fight, and that was a decision loss last year to Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two bantered back and forth before this bout, with De La Hoya saying that it was Roach's strategy — not himself — that was at fault for the Mayweather loss.

After eight of the most one-sided rounds in De La Hoya's 16-year career, Pacquiao accomplished what elite welterweights Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley and Mayweather could not. He stopped De La Hoya.

And he did it by coming up from the featherweight and lightweight divisions (122-135 pounds) to dominate De La Hoya at 147. In modern boxing history, what Pacquiao did — he started his career at 106 — is unprecedented.

"I knew right away in the first round. I controlled the fight right away," Pacquiao said. "I was able to defend against his jab and I was able to move around."

Pacquiao (48-3-2, 36 KOs) did it all. The southpaw landed his right jab at will, and every variety of punches imaginable. By the second round, De La Hoya's face was blood red. Then the Filipino started attacking his body with great success.

"Oscar was in good condition but he couldn't control the southpaw stance or Manny's style," said Nacho Beristain, in his first fight as De La Hoya's trainer. "He just didn't seem to have the strength to stop him."