Pacquiao hands Morales worst beating of his career
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines avenged his defeat 10 months ago and handed Erik Morales the worst beating of his career before finally stopping him in the 10th round Saturday.
It was the first time Morales had ever been stopped in what had been a spectacular career, 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 Bayles wasted no time in stopping the fight.
"I saw I hurt him every time I hit him in the body," Pacquiao said after the WBC super featherweight title eliminator.
Morales' face was a mess of welts and he had lumps on his forehead and head after taking the beating of his career. 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.
"I was tired because of making weight and I was tired because of all the tough fights I've had," Morales said.
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.
The first fight was a 12-round brawl, and the rematch promised to live up to expectations early with both fighters trading freely and landing clean shots to the head. Pacquaio was busier, though, and seemed to win some early rounds through sheer volume of punches.
No title was at stake, but a lot of national pride was in a bout that drew 14,618 fans to the UNLV campus arena, many cheering their countrymen on.
As the fight went on it was Pacquaio's supporters doing the most cheering as Pacquaio wore down Morales and landed shot after shot to the head and body.
"I could see he was having problems taking my punches," Pacquaio said. "I had no problem taking his."
Pacquaio (41-3-1, 32 knockouts) landed a big punch in the second round, a left hand that sent Morales backwards and forced him to grab onto the top rope to stay up. Morales also appeared ready to go down at the end of the sixth round after a series of punches in the corner, but bounced off referee Kenny Bayless and stayed upright as the bell sounded to end the round.
As the fight went on, Pacquaio kept the pressure on, and Morales looked increasingly weary. Between rounds, he complained that his legs hurt and his cornermen rubbed them.
