Then he called out Floyd Mayweather, who doesn't appear eager to face the Filipino flash.
Pacquiao, his face slightly bruised and his hand and other body parts hurting, called it the toughest fight of his career, given that Margarito was 4½ inches taller and 17 pounds heavier.
Margarito, his face swollen, bloodied and bruised beyond recognition, called Pacquiao the best fighter in the world and said he was too quick to hit. Then he went to the hospital to have his broken right eye socket treated. He'll have surgery Tuesday.
And the raucous crowd of 41,734 at Cowboys Stadium roared their approval throughout as Pacquiao won a unanimous decision — nearly a shutout — and a world championship in his record eighth weight division. The fight was for the WBC super welterweight title. By the time the fight started, Margarito weighed 165 and Pacquiao 148.
But the congressman from the Philippines left little doubt over his status as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. In this case, the pounds didn't even matter. Pacquiao's speed and quickness were so superior to Margarito's that he was able to connect on multiple combinations of punches at will.
Pacquiao (52-3, 38 KOs) was so accurate and so prolific and relentless with his punches that he connected on 474 of 1,069 thrown (44%). The 474 punches landed were eighth most in a title fight. In a testament to his ability to zero in on his opponent, 411 of 474 of Pacquiao's punches were power shots. Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) landed 135 power shots, though some hurt Pacquiao.
A sixth-round body shot made Pacquiao's knees buckle. "I was lucky to survive that round,' the champ said.
Yet it was Margarito who suffered so much damage to his face and head that Pacquiao felt compassion for his opponent and tried to get the referee to stop the fight in the 11th round, by which time both of Margarito's eyes were swollen shut and his face beaten to a bloody pulp.
My opponent looked bad," said Pacquiao, 31. "I said to (referee Laurence Cole), 'Look at his face.' I didn't want to damage him permanently. That's not what boxing's all about."
Roach, who had his symptoms of Parkinson's disease mocked by Margarito last week in a YouTube video, said he wanted Pacquiao to knock Margarito out. He also criticized Margarito's corner for not stopping the fight. "He might never fight again," Roach said. "His corner ruined him."
But Margarito said he kept fighting because, "I'm a Mexican, and there was no way I was going to quit. I fight until the end."
Roach dispelled talk during fight week that Pacquiao might not fight again. "100%, yes, he will fight again," said Roach, who added he expected Pacquiao to rest for about six months and return to his political duties.
Will Pacquiao's next fight be against Mayweather, who faces up to 34 years in prison for felony assault charges? Pacquiao said he was tired of talking about Mayweather. Roach said, "(Mayweather) has to put up or shut up, or he'll have to move out of the country. Let's face it, Manny is way above him at this point. If he doesn't fight Manny now, this guy should retire."
The closest Pacquiao and Mayweather will get to each other for now will be this week when Pacquiao does a concert at Lake Tahoe, across Nevada from Mayweather's home in Las Vegas.
Source: usatoday.com
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