Pacquiao shines again
The WBC lightweight title belt looked perfectly natural hanging off Manny Pacquiao’s shoulder after he battered David Diaz.
That invisible crown on his head seemed like a perfect fit as well.
From the first too-quick combination to the decisive left cross to the jaw, Pacquiao’s ninth-round TKO victory late Saturday in Las Vegas also seemed to be a coronation. Most observers left the fight convinced the Filipino star deserves the unofficial honor of being known as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, even if Pacquiao himself still doesn’t care about that particular title.
“It is not for me to say,” Pacquiao said. “I just want the fans to be happy with me.”
With a championship belt in his fourth weight class and a landmark victory in his fifth division, Pacquiao showed he’s only getting better as he gets bigger. The next few years will determine just how big he can get as he embarks on what’s sure to be an eventful tour of the talented lightweight division — with perhaps an incredibly lucrative side trip to junior welterweight for a fight against Ricky Hatton.
