PACQUIAO KOs DIAZ FOR WBC LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

By Kevin Iole
Yahoo! Sports


LAS VEGAS – Round-by-round coverage of Manny Pacquiao’s WBC lightweight title-winning effort against David Diaz from the Mandalay Bay Events Center.


AP Photo by Jae C Hong


ROUND 1

Crowd is heavily pro-Pacquiao as Michael Buffer introduces them. Ex-world champion Fernando Vargas, who has gotten very heavy, walks to the ring with Diaz. The fighters meet in the center of the ring as the bell sounds. Pacquiao lands two lefts. Pacquiao is circling and Diaz is moving forward. Diaz lands a combination to the body. Combination to the head and body by Pacquiao. Hard left by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a left. Pacquaio’s jab gets through three times in a row. Combination to the head by Pacquiao. Speed edge is huge for Pacquiao. Diaz misses badly with a hook. It’s easy right now for Pacquiao. Diaz lands a right and Pacquiao is warned for holding. Four-punch combination by Pacquiao brings a roar from the crowd. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


ROUND 2

They trade inside as the round starts. Now, they’re wrestling. Diaz fires a combination to the head, but Pacquiao lands a counter left. Left-right-left from Pacquiao lands. Good left from Diaz. Hard left by Pacquiao. Right hook and a left from Pacquiao. Jab and a hook to the body by Pacquiao. Overhand left from Pacquiao lands. Right hook snaps Diaz’s head. Left-right combination to the head by Pacquiao. He’s teeing off on Diaz. Right hook by Pacquiao. Pacquiao lands a five-punch combination. It’s ridiculously easy at this point for Pacquiao. He’s far outclassing Diaz. Diaz has reddening around the eyes. Another hard combination by Pacquiao. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


ROUND 3

Diaz opens with a jab. Pacquiao double jabs and then a left. Right hook from Pacquiao. Diaz lands a good right. Four-punch combination to the head by Pacquiao. Hard left by Pacquiao. Pacquiao is simply far too fast. It’s a mismatch at this point. Right hook by Manny lands. Diaz digs to the body. Diaz has a cut on the bridge of his nose, but it shouldn’t be a factor. Jab-left by Pacquiao snaps Diaz’s head. They tie up for only a second and the crowd boos. It’s been a fast pace. Diaz roughs Pacquiao up inside and lands a short right. Combination to the body by Pacquiao. Left cross lands by Pacquiao. Hook to the body by Diaz. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao.


AP Photo By Eric Jamison


ROUND 4

Pacquiao opens with a jab. Diaz lands a right. Hook to the body and hook to the head by Diaz. Pacquiao lands a left that stuns Diaz. Another hard left by Pacquiao. Diaz is cut badly on the right eye. Referee Vic Drakulich stops the fight briefly to allow the doctor to examine the cut. He’s OK to go, but it will bother him. Hard right by Pacquiao. Right hand and then a big left by Pacquiao. Diaz wobbles. Pacquiao is firing away and landing hard, crisp shots. He’s totally dominant. Left by Pacquiao and then they clinch. They trade hard blows, but Pacquiao lands several more. Hook by Pacquiao. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


ROUND 5

Diaz’s corner has done a good job closing the cut. Diaz lands a hook to the body. Pacquiao lands a hard right. Right by Pacquiao and then a right-left combination on the chin. These punches are going to take a toll on Diaz pretty soon. Chopping left by Pacquiao. Diaz bending at the waist and bobbing and weaving, trying to find a way to avoid the punishment. Two rights by Pacquiao lands as the crowd roars its approval. Left to the body by Pacquiao. This is an extremely impressive performance. Diaz cracks Pacquiao with a good right, his best punch of the fight. Three-punch combination by Pacquiao to the head. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


ROUND 6

Diaz’s cut is on his eyelid and is in a very bad position. Pacquiao is circling and flicks a jab. Diaz lands a right. Pacquiao lands a double hook. Cut is bleeding heavily. Pacquiao not quite as aggressive in this round, but is still landing what he throws. They wrestle in the center. Diaz warned for hitting behind the head. Good left to the head by Pacquiao. Short right inside by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a jab and then a right hand. Three-punch combination inside by Pacquiao and then a hard right to the head. Drakulich calls time to have the cut checked. He lets it continue. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


AP Photo By Eric Jamison


ROUND 7

Diaz said in between rounds, “Those punches are just too fast.” Diaz misses badly with a hook. Pacquiao lands a jab and then a right. They’re warned for rough tactics. Right to the body by Diaz, but Pacquiao answers with a 1-2 to the head. Left to the body and then to the head by Pacquiao. Diaz lands a jab. Three-punch combination inside by Pacquiao, who just gets off so much quicker. They clinch in the middle. Diaz pops a jab. Pacquiao lands an uppercut and then a right. Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao


ROUND 8

Pacquiao opens with a couple of hard punches to the head. How much punishment is the corner going to let Diaz take? They need to think of stopping it now. Diaz seems to have no shot, not even the lucky punch chance to keep his title. Right-left-right by Pacquiao sends Diaz sagging to the ropes. Diaz fights his way off, only to be pummeled in the center of the ring with a blistering combination. Pacquiao raking him along the ropes. This is horrendous. Diaz is taking a frightful beating. Pacquiao continues to batter him with shots. Pacquiao lands a five-punch combination to the head, all of which were hard shots. Left by Pacquiao catches Diaz on the way in. Diaz is wincing. Iole scores it 10-8, Pacquiao


ROUND 9

Diaz’s face is a mess as the round starts and Pacquiao resumes the assault. Pacquiao lands a three-punch combination to the head. Diaz throws a left and a right, which Pacquiao blocks with his gloves. Diaz simply can’t land much. Straight left by Manny snaps Diaz’s head back. Diaz’s left eye is blackening and closing quickly. Pacquiao circles and flicks a couple of jabs. Right hand inside followed by a left sends Diaz down face first. The ref doesn’t even bother to count and waves off the fight at 2:24. Pacquiao wins by knockout.


AP Photo by Jae C Hong


Kevin Iole covers boxing and mixed martial arts for Yahoo! Sports. Send Kevin a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.