Erik Morales Wins Thriller Over Manny Pacquiao

Last night, boxing fans tuned in (and shelled out $44.95 for PPV) hoping to see a great fight between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. Fight fans have been conditioned to feeling ripped off by skimpy PPV cards, so imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to get two fight-of-the-year candidates for the price of one! In the main event, Morales - proving he's far from finished - earned a thrilling unanimous decision over Pacquiao. Morales dictated the pace of the fight by using an effective jab to neutralize Pacquiao's speed and power ... but there were still plenty of toe-to-toe exchanges. In the fifth, Pacquaio suffered a nasty gash over his right eye from an accidental clash of heads (though referee Joe Cortez incorrectly ruled the cut was caused by a punch) and gamely fought the rest of the way with blood streaming down his face. Pacquiao briefly wobbled Morales in the 12th round, but in the end, all three judges scored the fight 115-113. Talk of a rematch began as soon as the final bell had sounded. Immediately preceding the main event, Jorge Arce scored a tenth round TKO over Hussein Hussein in a memorable flyweight elimination bout. Arce, refusing to be distracted by the steady stream of blood pouring from a deep cut on the bridge of his nose, applied non-stop pressure on Hussein and turned the fight into an action-packed slugfest. After dishing out nearly as much punishment as he absorbed, Hussein finally crumpled to the canvas in the tenth, prompting cornerman Jeff Fenech to enter the ring and stop the fight. Two great fights on one card ... what an expected treat!