“It’s not easy to move up in weight and I am very lucky that God has blessed me with the strength to do so. I am very happy that I won tonight, and won by knockout. I never thought I’d win four titles (in four weight classes) and I could not have done it without all the support from my people, the fans, the media and Top Rank (Promotions). Thank you to everybody.”

“(Freddie) told me not to be over confident, to keep my hands up and jab. He told me I don’t need to stand toe-to-toe with him and to box him and I did that and controlled the fight.”

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‘Iceman’ John Scully:

This is a really interesting piece, especially if you like Marvin Hagler. I used to train at Goody’s gym when I was an amateur, and in this video you can see it looks exactly the same. I used to see Tiger in the gym and until I saw this piece I had no idea who he was. He just used to quietly hit the heavy bag.

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Manny Pacquiao defeated David Diaz via ninth-round KO moments ago in Las Vegas, capturing the WBC lightweight title in addition to earning the distinction of becoming the first Asian fighter in history to win four titles in four different weight classes. Pacquiao absolutely brutalized Diaz from the outset, at times throwing over 100 punches per round, mixing in body shots and brilliant right hooks. By Round 4 Diaz’s face was a bloody mask and it only worsened with each passing round. Diaz showed tremendous will and determination to continue taking what amounted to a violent beating, but in the end Pacquiao’s speed, power and accuracy was just too much. In Round 9, a brilliant counter straight left crumpled Diaz to the canvas face first and the fight was immediately waived off. Pacquiao moved up to lightweight and made an emphatic statement dominating one of the division’s top fighters in his first fight. With the win, Pacquiao moves to 47-3-2 and solidifies his place as boxing’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter.

Ace Freeman: This is Pacquiao’s time to shine. I believe he has some pressure in this situation as the sport looks to him to stand up as its top fighter and main attraction, but the weight of millions riding on his shoulders has never slowed him down before. I liken this fight to Floyd Mayweather challenging Carlos Baldomir, with the sport’s top recognized fighter, up several classes in weight, challenging a strong but somewhat limited titleholder. Although Mayweather used his boxing prowess to dominate Baldomir on the scorecards, I expect Pacquiao to display his dominance through the damage his fists will inflict en route to a late round stoppage or a bruising decision win. In the end for Pacquiao to affirm himself as the sport’s top fighter, he needs to beat David Diaz decisively.

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Photo courtesy of Brother Darwin

Three-time world champion Manny Pacquiao and WBC lightweight champion David Diaz made weight Friday for their championship fight set for Saturday night. Diaz vs. Pacquiao, Lethal Combination, will be live on HBO pay-per-view Saturday, June 28 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Mexico celebrated its independence from Spain on the historic date of September 16, 1810 and over the years, this day has grown to become a special day of celebration, especially in the world of sports and entertainment. This year, the boxing world will celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day when reigning Ring Magazine world lightweight champion Joel ‘El Cepillo’ Casamayor meets former two-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez Saturday, Sept. 13 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev. in a 12-round championship bout that celebrates the best of the sweet science and two of its greatest practitioners.

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WATCH video highlights of Arthur Abraham’s stunning KO victory over Edison Miranda in their rematch as well as Raul Marquez’s upset of Giovanni Lorenzo!

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Photo: Chris Farina / Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao: “I want to dedicate this fight to all my people who are victims in the Philippines. I will do my best for all of the Philippines.”

David Diaz: “I want to give this fight to Mexico. Manny has been beating up on my countrymen and now I want to win this for them.”

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