Before a largely pro-Filipino crowd of 8,362 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Filipino boxing idol and challenger Manny Pacquiao captured the World Boxing Council’s lightweight championship. He won by technical knockout, 2-minutes, 24-seconds into the ninth round of the scheduled 12-round title bout. It was estimated that more-than half of the pro-Pacquiao wildly-cheering crowd was composed of Filipino congressmen, Filipino governors, top Filipino government officials, their spouses or girlfriends and their entourages. Now, Mr. Pacquiao is considered the current boxing world's best pound-for-pound champion in the same manner that Filipino congressmen are rated as the world’s best pound-for-pound, oops, dollar-for-dollar champions in dispensing pork barrel.

Manny Pacquiao's place among the greats in boxing history might have been secured last night with a well-placed right jab and a solid left hand to the chin of David Diaz. Now, the Philippines adds to its collection of world records—the best pound-for-pound boxing champion in the world, the world’s number-one rice importer, Asia’s most-corrupt government, the world’s biggest source of contract workers, the world’s biggest supplier of nurses and nursing aids, etceteras, etc.

The win made Mr. Pacquiao (47-3-2, 35 KOs) the first Asian boxer to become a champion in four weight categories, after previously capturing the WBC and IBF titles at flyweight, junior-featherweight and super-featherweight classifications.

Mr. Pacquiao, 29, was leading in all the judges's scorecards when the knockout came. He dominated from the opening bell with his best all-around performance to date, a boxing clinic of jabs, combinations and powerful right-and-left hooks. The defending champion Diaz had no other option but to be on a retaliatory-and-defensive, rather than on an attack, mode.

Mr. Pacquiao leveled a bloodied but determined David Diaz (34-2-1, 17 KOs) with a short left that was so devastating, the Chicago native landed face-first on the ring’s canvas.

"My first concern was for Diaz. I was praying he was all right," said Mr. Pacquiao, who opened cuts above his opponent's left ear and the bridge of his nose. A huge gash developed above Mr. Diaz's right eye in the fourth round and blood oozed from it, pouring over his face.

I tried to help him up," Mr. Pacquiao said after sending David Diaz, a U.S. Olympian boxer, to the canvas. With Diaz face down, referee Vic Drakulich indicated the fight was over and the Filipino new champion climbed onto the corner ropes, prayed and raised his hands in celebration.

Mr. Diaz was a 4-to-1 underdog. He carried the hopes of Chicagoland with him to Las Vegas. But he knew that he was outclassed from the very beginning of the fight.

"It was his speed. It was all his speed. He boxed more than I thought he would box. I could see—despite the cut. But Manny was too fast," said Mr. Diaz. The Chicago-based boxer won the lightweight title with a TKO over Jose Armando Santa Cruz in August 2006. He then forced Mexican star Erik Morales to retire after beating the challenger in his first title defense a year later.

Both fighters are brawlers. Mr. Diaz’s strategy was to remain in the center of the ring, where he could trade jabs and box.

There was some concern before the fight that Mr. Pacquiao might lose some of his signature speed by moving up in weight. He needed 12 rounds on March 15, 2008, to defeat Juan Manuel Marquez by split decision in this same arena. But it was not so last night. Trainer Freddie Roach was confident Mr. Pacquiao could dominate at his heaviest weight division. He was thrilled that the Filipino boxer stuck to the game plan.

"It was beautiful," Mr. Roach said of Manny Pacquiao's performance. "We told him not to stand and trade with this guy because he's too dangerous, but rather, go with your in-and-out boxing—do what you do best.”
Mr. Roach said also, "We trained to outbox him. Manny did everything we asked."

"I feel much, much stronger, more powerful (at 135 pounds)," Mr. Pacquiao said. "I'm kind of surprised (the fight) wasn't stopped sooner," he added. Mr. Pacquiao looked every bit as fast as a lightweight Saturday night.

"It's hard to fight a southpaw – that's why I was not confident for this fight," added the newly-crowned champion Pacquiao, who called Mr. Diaz his toughest opponent. "My game plan was to jab (and) jab."

Mr. Diaz thought his boxing skills, principally developed as an Olympian, would help him score an upset over the highly-favored Filipino boxer.

"It was his best performance of his life," Mr. Roach, Manny Pacquiao’s long-time trainer, said of his fighter. "I'm so proud of Manny's right hand. It's come a long way and is the reason we won tonight." # # #

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