Manny Pacquiao Beats Antonio Margarito for 8th Boxing Title

Manny Pacquiao used both speed and power in a dominating performance Saturday night to beat Antonio Margarito in their 68 kilogram (150-pound) showdown.

Pacquiao landed early and often, bloodying Margarito's face, closing his right eye and nearly closing his left. Pacquiao seemed on the verge of stopping Margarito in the late rounds, but had to settle for a lopsided decision.

"There was no way I was gong to quit. I'm a Mexican, we fight until the end," Margarito said.

Pacquiao won every round on one scorecard, 120-108, and was ahead 119-109 and 118-110 on the other two. The Associated Press had it a 120-108 shutout.

"We didn't lose a round," said Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. "I wish they would have stopped the fight."

That almost happened, but Cole allowed it to go on even as Margarito kept taking a beating. There wasn't any way Margarito was going to win the fight, but he could still see out of one eye and wanted to continue.

"I told the referee, `Look at his eyes, look at his cuts,"' Pacquiao said. "I did not want to damage him permanently. That's not what boxing is about."

Ringside punch stats reflected Pacquiao's dominance, showing him landing 474 punches to 229 for Margarito. But it wasn't just the sheer volume of punches, but the power in which they came at almost every angle.

Roach also made sure he was in the dressing room to watch the hands of Margarito, who is still banned in California for a hand wrapping scandal, get wrapped. But it was Margarito's corner who demanded Roach also rewrap his fighter's hands in a display of gamemanship.

Pacquiao earned a guaranteed $15 million, though he is likely to make millions more on his cut of the television revenues. He planned to give a concert at Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and then return to his political duties in the Philippines.

It was the eighth different title won by Pacquiao, the Filipino star who also is a congressman in his native land.

And it was a magnificent performance against a tough opponent who both outweighed him by nearly 20 pounds and towered over him.