Pacquiao downs Margarito
Manny Pacquiao produced a dominant display to beat Antonio Margarito and claim the vacant WBC light-middleweight title on a unanimous points victory in Dallas on Saturday night.
The triumph handed the 31-year-old Pacquiao an unprecedented eighth belt in an eighth different weight class.
Mexican Margarito headed into the ring weighing 17 pounds more than his opponent and five inches taller, but hardly got a look-in in the 150-pound catchweight showdown.
The Filipino southpaw landed a continual flurry of punches to the head from the opening bell, leaving his 32-year-old rival's face bloodied and his eyes barely open.
Margarito enjoyed success of his own with some concussive shots, most notably in some ferocious exchanges during the second, sixth and eighth rounds, but he was left beguiled by his opponent's speed and power.
Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) appeared close to stopping a badly cut and swollen Margarito towards the end of the 12-round contest - even imploring referee Lawrence Cole to bring a halt to proceedings in the penultimate session - but had to settle for a unanimous points decision at Cowboys Stadium.
