The Night Manny Made History : Manny Pacquiao (PHIL) VS Antonio Margarito (MEXICO) Fight Highlights

Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito, promoted as “The Eighth Wonder of the World,“ was a super welterweight contest for the vacant WBC super welterweight title. The fight took place on November 13, 2010, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after negotiations for a Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout fell through for the second time. Pacquiao secured a dominant unanimous decision victory over Margarito. Despite being smaller in both height (5’6½“ vs. Margarito’s 5’11“) and weight (148 lbs vs. Margarito’s 150 lbs), Pacquiao dominated the fight with his superior speed and technique. Margarito sustained three severe cuts, and at one point, Pacquiao urged referee Laurence Cole to stop the fight. Ringside commentators also felt the bout should have been stopped. The fight went the full 12 rounds, with Pacquiao nearly knocking out Margarito in the fourth round with a body shot. In the sixth, Margarito landed a solid left hook to Pacquiao’s body, sending him into the ropes, which was Margarito’s best moment in the fight. The judges scored the bout decisively in Pacquiao’s favor: Juergen Langos 120–108, Glen Rick Crocker 118–110, and Oren Shellenberger 119–109. Pacquiao connected on 474 of 1,069 punches (44%), while Margarito landed 229 of 817 (28%). Pacquiao’s power punches were especially effective, landing 411 out of 713 (58%), compared to Margarito’s 135 out of 312 (43%). Due to the severity of his injuries, Margarito was sent straight to the hospital after the fight, skipping his post-fight interview. It was later discovered that he had suffered a fractured right orbital bone, which required surgery. In his post-fight interview, Pacquiao admitted to easing off in the final round, stating, “Boxing is not for killing“ and that he did not want to cause Margarito permanent damage. However, Margarito did suffer lasting damage to his right eye, which nearly cost him his boxing license. In his next fight against Miguel Cotto, Margarito’s eye swelled badly, resulting in a doctor/referee stoppage. The fight drew million pay-per-view buys, generating $64 million in revenue, with an attendance of 41,734.