By Ronnie Nathanielsz

 

The country’s national treasure Manny Pacquiao ended a glorious day for Philippine boxing with a smashing sixth round knockout over rugged Mexican veteran Hector Velazquez after Brian Viloria scored a spectacular first round KO to wrest the WBC light flyweight title from another Mexican, Eric Ortiz.

 

 WBO Asia Pacific champion Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista started it off with a spectaclar third round knockout over Colombian southpaw Felix Flores Murillo to the delight of a huge crowd of flag-waving Filipino fans who packed the famed Staples Center in Los Angeles, yesterday with boxing manager and promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud prominent at ringside along with Pacquiao’s charming wife Jinkee.

 

However, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum’s planned megabuck rematch between Pacquiao and Erik “El Terrible” Morales set for January 21 was initially ruined when Zahir Raheem stunned the legendary Mexican with a lopsided unanimous decision over twelve rounds that silenced the fans and wrecked Arum’s scenario.

 

However, Arum stuck to his guns indicating a rematch was what the fans demanded even as Morales helped along by claiming Pacquiao wanted to knock his head off and he's like to see whether the Filipino could do it, which all added up to a huge fight that would keep the excitement high and in the end the turnstiles clicking. 

 

 Morales was a shadow of the fighter who overcame Pacquiao in an epic battle last March 19. He was staggered by a right and reeled across the ring in the fifth round as the much quicker Raheem out-boxed the increasingly desperate Morales to win and shock thousands of Mexicans who had earlier booed Pacquiao on his way to the ring.

 

Pacquiao’s timing appeared to be off at the start of his fight against Velazquez who connected with some stiff combinations that obviously concerned trainer Freddie Roach who had, upto that point, stepped into the ring three times and saw all his fighters win handsomely, including Armenian youngster and Olympic super welterweight Vanes Martirosyan.

 

 But once Pacquiao followed Roach’s instructions to work to the body the complexion of the fight changed dramatically and the Filipino ring idol, as relentless as ever, kept throwing flurries of punches that soon had Velazquez in trouble. Late in the sixth round Pacquiao blasted the gallant Mexican with a barrage of vicious punches and although he beat the count Velazquez was a overwhelmed fighter and referee Lou Moret called a halt at 2:59 of the round. Pacquiao’s record now stands at 40-3-2 with 31 knockouts.

 

 It was the identical time in the very first round that Viloria, who endeared himself to millions of Filipinos by proudly proclaiming he was one hundred percent Filipino and wearing a Philippine flag on his trunks, needed to demolish Ortiz. Viloria was awesome and connected with some solid left hooks to the body along with a crisp right uppercut.

 

Viloria staggered Ortiz with a cracking left straight before a beautiful right hand counter caught the champion flush on the jaw and sent him crashing onto the canvas on his back. Ortiz tried to get up but stumbled back to the canvas and referee Raul Caiz Jr knew it was all over.

 

 A jubilant Viloria with the Philippine flag draped around his body dedicated the fight to Ruben Contreras who had to undergo surgery some months ago after being stopped by Viloria. Contreras and his wife were at special ringside as Viloria’s guests and the former US Olympian embraced him before he entered the ring. Viloria stretched his unbeaten streak to 18-0 with 12 KO’s.

 

 Bautista, calm and collected against the southpaw Flores Murillo who had 11 KO’s in 13 wins felt his way around in the opening stanza, picked up the pace and staggered Murillo with devastating body shots in the second round before a picture-perfect right straight nailed Murillo who staggered across the ring and into the ropes in the process taking down the referee who tried to hang on to him. Bautista moved to 17-0 with 12 KO’s in an impressive US debut.