Pacquiao Vs. Margarito Fight: Manny Wins Eighth World Title In Unanimous Decision

Manny Pacquiao may have literally beaten an opponent so badly that he couldn’t see straight.

One of the results of any Pacquiao fight is the damage the surprisingly strong Filipino does to his opponents, and the brutal cut Pacquiao opened up on Margarito (warning: graphic) during Saturday night’s fight may have been just one of Margarito’s facial woes. The Mexican fighter was taken directly to a hospital after Pacquiao was declared the winner by unanimous decision, and was diagnosed with a fractured orbital bone. He will likely be kept in the hospital through Sunday night for observation, and his injury may require surgery.

Manny Pacquiao dispatching Antonio Margarito to win his eighth world title was barely a surprise. And neither is the renewed call for a Pacquiao fight against Floyd Mayweather.

The long-rumored megafight would be the biggest bout in boxing in a decade or more, and would rescue Pacquiao from a string of fights against lesser competiton that have seen the Filipino champion dominate his opponents despite giving up weight and reach. “Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito” or “Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley” is the hallmark of a good fight featuring an already legendary athlete; “Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather” would pit two modern titans in one of the biggest sporting events in recent memory.

Scott Christ did an amazing job with his full fight coverage of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight here at SB Nation. Christ, of Bad Left Hook fame, live-blogged all the action with round-by-round updates. If you missed any of them, here’s the highlights.

Pacquiao jumped all over Margarito early, dominating the first round.

Antonio Margarito took a pounding at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, but survived all 12 rounds to send the fight to the judges. Pacquiao opened a nasty cut under the right eye of Margarito that continued to deterioriate throughout the fight, eventually swelling shut as the fight wore on. The win propelled Pacquiao to his eighth title in as many weight classes, clearly establishing Manny as the finest pound-for-pound boxer in the sport right now.

From beginning to end, Pacquiao used his impressive speed and a flurry of punches from all angles to completely neutralize the sizeable weight advantage Margarito held. Margarito finally did some damage to Pacquiao at one point, landing a flurry of punches in the sixth round with Manny up against the ropes. Pacquaio said he was surprised by the power of Margarito’s punches and his vicious uppercut after the fight, noting that the sixth round left him stunned.

Philadelphia welterweight prospect Mike Jones stayed undefeated (23-0, 18 KO) as he eked out a majority decision win over Jesus Soto Karass (24-5-3, 16 KO) in the final preliminary bout on the Pacquiao-Margarito card at Cowboys Stadium. Bad Left Hook and SB Nation had it a close 96-94 for the underdog, Jesus Soto Karass. HBO’s Harold Lederman scored it 95-95. Official scores were a reported 94-94 draw, plus 95-94 and a questionable 97-93, both for Mike Jones.

The top moment of the fight came in round two, when Jones unleashed a mass of punches, with Soto Karass stuck on the ropes but fighting back when he could see an opening. Jones clearly took the first two rounds, but struggled in the middle frames, before coming on strong again at the end.

In the second of three preliminary televised fights on the Pacquiao-Margarito pay-per-view, Cuban defect and amateur legend Guillermo Rigondeaux scored a dull split decision over Ricardo Cordoba, winning on scores of 117-109, 114-112 and 112-114. Bad Left Hook and SB Nation scored it 116-112 for Rigondeaux.

The fight featured a knockdown of both men, with a body shot putting Cordoba down in the fourth round, and Rigondeaux’s knees touching the canvas in the sixth. The knockdown of Rigondeaux is advertised as the first time the 30-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medalist has been down in his entire career, amateur or professional.

There are a few simple things on the line for tonight’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight. When the fight kicks off from Cowboys Stadium around 11:30 --- after plenty of build-up during the period between the time the HBO pay-per-view starts at 9:00 Eastern and the time Pacquiao and Margarito enter the ring — for the WBC super welterweight title. And it’s one of the last logical Pacquiao fights before the long-rumored megafight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather; for Margarito, it’s a chance at redemption after a career sullied by a suspension for using loaded gloves.

But as far as what’s really at stake, beyond the tangible? Boxing sage Avi “Shoefly” Korine does a good job of explaining that — and why he’s rooting for Manny Pacquiao:

Many people will tune to HBO’s pay-per-view broadcast of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito fight at 9:00 Eastern, and many of those people will be unfamiliar with the boxers involved. But you don’t have to be!

SB Nation’s boxing blog, Bad Left Hook, has broken down what you should watch for in an in-depth fight preview to make you a more educated viewer.

What was announced in late July reaches its culmination Saturday night when Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito meet for the vacant WBC Super Welterweight World Title in Cowboys Stadium in Texas.

If he wins, Pacquiao -- an overwhelming favorite -- would claim his unprecedented eight title in eight weight classes.