Manny Pacquaio Defeats Oscar De La Hoya By TKO

It was billed as the "Dream Match".

After eight rounds of a one sided beating, Oscar De La Hoya probably wished he was experiencing a bad dream.

Manny Pacquaio defeated Oscar De La Hoya by eighth round TKO after De La Hoya did not answer the bell for the ninth round. It was all the better, as Manny was putting on a boxing clinic up and until that point.

He boxed beautifully, got in and out before Oscar could respond, peppering him with lead left hands. He forced De La Hoya to continually have to reset himself to punch, by which time Manny was already out of range.

He closed De La Hoya's left eye and was beating him from post to pillar until De La Hoya couldn't muster any offense at all. It was the type of performance that showed that De La Hoya's physical prime is far past him, as he was unable to match the speed or respond to Manny's onslaught.

De La Hoya had only been stopped once before, at the hands of a perfectly placed liver shot by Bernard Hopkins at 160 lbs. What occured tonight was much different, as he was blitzed by the younger fighter.

"He's just a great fighter," De La Hoya said. "I have nothing bad to say about him. He prepared like a true champion."

Pacquaio was fighting for the first time at 147, and actually came in to the fight unofficially at 148 and a half to De La Hoya's 147. De La Hoya figured to use his height and reach advantages to keep Pacquaio at bay with his jab, but was unsuccessful.

"We knew we had him after the first round," Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach said. "He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot."

Next for Pacquaio might be a potential matchup with the 140 lb Ring Magazine Champion, Ricky Hatton. Pacquaio has expressed a desire to move back to 140 and Hatton was ringside to observe the fight.

For De La Hoya, this may be the end of the road. In no other sport is the end so sudden, so violent, or harsh as it is in boxing. Tonight, De La Hoya looked every bit of 35, with his reflexes shot and legs gone.

If he retires after sixteen years as a pro it will be one of the most lucrative, if not successful boxing careers of all time.