Andrew's Boxing Blog

Pre-Fight: Both fighters receive nice applause during the introductions. Referee is Vic Drakulich.

Round One: Both men look to be in great shape. Manny Pacquiao looks fine at lightweight. Pacquiao is busier. Diaz fights defensively. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Two: Big round for Pacquiao. Too much had speed for Diaz. Diaz lands a few punches but still very defensive. Pacquiao opens a cut on the bridge of Diaz' nose. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Three: Diaz has a good chin and it's getting tested. Pacquiao throwing lots of rights against the southpaw Diaz. Diaz lands the occasional body shot but not much else. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Four: Referee stops fight briefly to allow ring doctor to look at cut over Diaz' right eye. Cut is ruled the result of an accidental head butt. Huge speed advantage for Pacquiao. Diaz is showing little other than toughness and a sturdy chin. Swelling starts around Diaz' left eye. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Five: Diaz' grit and determination are impressive but Pacquiao's precision punching is making a mess of Diaz' face. Lots of blood coming from above the right eye of Diaz. His corner has their work cut out for them. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Six: Ref stops the action again to have the ring doctor examine the cut over Diaz' right eye. Diaz is not a one-punch knockout puncher so - unless Pacquiao completely runs out of gas - it's hard to imagine how he could possibly win the fight. Appears increasingly likely it may get stopped on cuts. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Seven: More of the same. Pacquiao is boxing beautifully. Diaz is one tough dude but he doesn't have the hand speed or power to make this fight competitive. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Eight: Diaz won't quit but referee is beginning to look for an excuse to stop the fight. If he doesn't, the corner of Diaz should consider doing the same. The shutout continues. Pacquiao 10-9

Round Nine: It's over! Pacquiao drops Diaz with a perfect left cross and Drakulich immediately stops the fight without a count. Time of the stoppage is 2:24.

Scoring: At the time of the stoppage, all three judges had Pacquiao way ahead in the fight: 80-72, 80-71 and 80-71.

Punch Stats: Total Punches: Pacquiao - 230 of 788 (29%); Diaz - 90 of 463 (19%). Total Jabs: Pacquiao - 50 of 298 (17%); Diaz - 31 of 144 (22%). Total Power Punches: Pacquiao - 180 of 490 (37%); Diaz - 59 of 319 (18%).

Post-Fight: Amazingly, Pacquiao has no visible nicks or swelling whatsoever. He gives Diaz credit for toughness and says he's surprised he lasted as long as he did. Pacquiao doesn't say who he wants to fight next but says he'll be ready to fight again in November. A fight with the winner of the Sept. 13 fight between Juan Manuel Marquez and Joel Casamayor seems likely. A move up to junior welterweight to face Ricky Hatton has also been rumored. Pacquaio also gets credit for his much-improved English. He's already a rock star in his native Philippines. It's only a matter of time before he's a big star in the U.S. as well.

Diaz, offering no excuses, says he underestimated the hand speed of Pacquiao. He also set an unofficial HBO-PPV record by casually dropping the f bomb six times in his post-fight interview.

Manny Pacquiao is considered by many to be boxing's top pound-for-pound fighter ... well, the top one that isn't currently retired. Pacquiao will be carrying more of those pounds on Saturday night when he moves up to 135 pounds for the first time to challenge David Diaz for the WBC lightweight title. Will Pac Man's weight be an issue? That remains to be seen but it's worth noting that he weighed in at 120 pounds as recently as 2003 and began his career at 106 pounds in 1995 (at 16 years of age).

In contrast, Diaz has fought his entire career between 133 and 146 pounds. Diaz is a solid pro who scored his biggest win with a close unanimous decision over a badly faded Erik Morales in 2007 in what proved to be Morales' final fight.

There are some concerns over Pacquiao's conditioning and focus as he's clearly enjoying his rock star status and may be looking ahead to bigger fights, such as a third meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez. Ricky Hatton and Oscar De La Hoya have also been mentioned as possible future opponents. Nevertheless, Pacquiao is favored over Diaz -500 / +350.

Who do you think will win? Pacquiao or Diaz? Vote in our poll.

Pacquiao-Diaz will be televised live by HBO-PPV (beginning at 9pm ET) . The undercard includes: Steven Luevano (35-1) vs. Mario Santiago (19-1); Tye Fields (40-1) vs. Monte Barrett (33-6); and Humberto Soto (43-6-2) vs. Francisco Lorenzo (32-4).

In their third meeting - and first in 16 years, Jeff Fenech, 44, won a close majority decision over Azumah Nelson, 49, in Melbourne, Australia. Both men were super featherweights (130 pound limit) in their primes but fought this bout at junior middleweight (154 pound limit).

The fight was not televised in the U.S., but reports indicate it was a predictably sluggish affair. Fenech was more active over the first eight rounds and then - sensing he had the fight won on points - fought conservatively over the final two frames. Fenech's strategy wasn't popular with the crowd but it worked as the judges scored the fight 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95.

Their 1991 meeting ended in a controversial draw and the rematch, in 1992, was won by Nelson via eighth round TKO. The series is now tied at 1-1-1. Does that mean they've got to fight again? Let's hope not.

Lots of fighters who have been around a long time or - in some cases gone a long time - are preparing for upcoming bouts:

Past-their-prime heavyweights Hasim Rahman, 35, and James Toney, 39, are set to meet on July 16. In their first meeting, in March 2006, they fought to a lackluster draw. There's no reason to expect fireworks this time either.

Former WBC heavyweight champ Oleg Maskaev, out of action since losing his title to Samuel Peter in March, is looking to return to the ring in August or September. His power continues to make him a viable opponent for any top heavy but, at 39 and with a somewhat suspect chin, his days among the division's elite are numbered.

With Floyd Mayweather Jr. out of the picture, Oscar De La Hoya, 35, has scrapped his Sept. 20 fight date. His next bout is now tentatively slated for Dec. 6. Such a date would allow De La Hoya to fight the winner of Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito on July 26.

Former WBC featherweight champ Kevin Kelley returns to the ring on July 8 against Abdul Malik Jabir. Jabir (11-6) has lost four of his last six fights, but Kelley will soon be 41 and hasn't fought since losing to Manuel Medina in Nov. 2006.

Finally, in the most ridiculous recent case of a fight long past its expiration date, Jeff Fenech, 44, and Azumah Nelson, 49, are scheduled to fight for a third and - hopefully - final time on June 24 in Melbourne, Australia. If you haven't heard much about Fenech and Nelson in recent years, there's a good reason -- neither man has fought this century. Fenech last fought - and lost - in 1996, while Nelson last fought - and lost - in 1998. The fight is less than one week away but still has a decent shot of being canceled for any number of reasons -- with Fenech's chronic hand problems and whatever boxing commission has jurisdiction over this bout coming to its collective senses being among the most probable.

Let's assume for the moment that Floyd Mayweather Jr. really is retired. Or at least retired for long enough that Oscar De La Hoya - still the biggest attraction in boxing - has to find himself another opponent to make rich. The Golden Boy's superstar status, not to mention the fact he's also his own promoter, means he can get a fight with just about anyone he wants. So who should he choose?

While De La Hoya has fought his share of hand-picked opponents (Steve Forbes and Ricardo Mayorga) in recent years, he also hasn't shied away from more difficult bouts in which he is the underdog (Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins). The likely group of potentially attractive opponents range - in size - from super featherweight Manny Pacquiao all the way up to smaller middleweights like Sergio Mora and Winky Wright.

Who do you want to see De La Hoya fight next? Vote in our poll.

WBC/WBO middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik crushed gutsy but completely overmatched challenger Gary Lockett in three one-sided rounds. Pavlik's power shots to the head and body forced Lockett to take a knee twice in the second round and then again in the third. After Lockett's third trip to the canvas, his corner mercifully threw in the towel. Fight fans would love to see a fight between Pavlik and Joe Calzaghe.

On the undercard, undefeated junior featherweight Juan Manuel Lopez took the WBO title from Daniel Ponce De Leon with a devastating first round TKO. Lopez floored Ponce De Leon twice in the opening stanza. Referee Michael Ortega waved off the fight after the second knockdown. Lopez is a star on the rise and a possible future opponent for either Israel Vazquez or Rafael Marquez.

Sergio Mora graduated from "The Contender" to champion with a majority decision over WBC junior middleweight champion Vernon Forrest. Forrest got the better of Mora in the early rounds but slowed down as the fight wore on. He may have taken Mora too lightly or perhaps, at 37, he's simply not the fighter he used to be. After the fight, Forrest attributed his sluggishness to being "just flat the whole night". Whatever the reason, Forrest looked old and tired. Two judges had the fight for Mora (116-112 and 115-113), while the third had it a draw (114-114).

Mora's win is the biggest for any fighter from "The Contender" series and proves he belongs in the ring with world class fighters. Predictably, Mora called out Oscar De La Hoya - who is in the market for an opponent - after the fight. Forrest said he plans to go back to the drawing board and will continue his career.

On the undercard, Paul Williams won back the WBO welterweight title with a first round TKO of Carlos Quintana. When they met in February, Quintana outworked Williams for a unanimous decision shocker. Williams wasn't about to let the same thing happen this time and came out aggressively from the opening bell. Williams dropped Quintana with a flurry midway through the first. Quintana got to his feet but only lasted another 18 seconds before another flurry put him down again. Referee Eddie Claudio waved off the fight as soon as Quintana went down for the second time.

After the fight, Williams said he'd like to fight Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito, Oscar De La Hoya or Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has already retired two (or three) times before. Make it three (or four) ... and counting. The undefeated pound-for-pound king says this time he’s really done fighting. And he's so serious about it, that he put it in writing. Whatever.

Mayweather will almost certainly fight again. However, if this retirement lasts for more than a week or two, it will force the postponement or cancellation of his Sept. 20 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Both fighters will miss out on a huge payday but, to be honest, fight fans were never really that excited seeing this match-up a second time. Better Mayweather take some time off and come back to fight the winner of the July 26 welterweight unification bout between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. That is the fight that fight fans want to see. And if Mayweather elects to continue avoiding Cotto, then De La Hoya - whose schedule is now wide open - will likely be more than willing to step up to the plate.

Former heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, who made over $120 million during his ring career, reportedly has money troubles. Holyfield says "I'm not broke. I'm just not liquid." Either way, his Atlanta mansion - 109 rooms on 235 acres in a suburb outside of Atlanta - has gone into foreclosure and was scheduled to be auctioned off on July 1. The 54,000-square-foot home includes 17 bathrooms, three kitchens and a bowling alley. Holyfield's lawyers claim the estate is no longer up for auction. Making matters worse, the mother of one of Holyfield's children claims he is behind on child support payments and he's also accused of failing to repay a $550,000 loan for landscaping.

Sad, but hardly surprising or unprecedented in the boxing world. Completely unable to manage his finances, is it any wonder that Holyfield insists on continuing his ring career when his best days are many years in the past?

Bad news for the political career of former heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko may be good news for his boxing career ... if he's ever able to get through a training camp without injuring himself.

Based on the latest available results, Klitschko, 36, appeared headed to certain defeat in his second bid to become the mayor of Kiev, Ukraine. Incumbent Leonid Chernovetsky leads with nearly 38% of the vote, followed by Oleksandr Turchynov and Klitschko, with 19% and 18% respectively. There is no run-off vote, so the candidate with the most votes will be declared the winner. Klitschko's previous bid came in 2006 when he finished second to Chernovetsky.

Klitschko had hired Giuliani Partners, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's company, as consultants to advise his current campaign. Voters were clearly not impressed.

The setback likely paves the way for Klitschko - who has been out of action since stopping Danny Williams in eight rounds back in Dec. 2004 - to attempt to return to the ring. A proposed bout with former WBC champ Oleg Maskaev never materialized. Now it's current WBC champ Samuel Peter whose career has been put on hold while he awaits Klitschko's next move. Stay tuned . . .