Manny Pacquiao landed one of his most brutal knockouts to become WBC lightweight world champion.
At the peak of his powers, the Filipino hero was nothing short of mesmerizing, destroying his opponents with his lightning combinations and dynamite hands.
Pacquiao savagely stopped Miguel Cotto and claimed a finish over the great Oscar De La Hoya.
In addition, he left one talented boxer flat on his face with a devastating punch.
WOW: Manny Pacquiao suffered his first loss in a huge upset against a boxer with 11-4-5 record
Manny Pacquiao ruthlessly knocked out David Diaz
On June 28, 2008, Manny Pacquiao challenged David Diaz for the WBC lightweight belt at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
And from the very first bell, the challenger aimed to show the champion that this wasn’t going to be an easy defense by any stretch of the imagination.
Pacquiao spent the first few rounds landing rapid combinations, and opening up a cut above his rival’s eye.
By the eighth, Diaz found himself in serious trouble when ‘PacMan’ nailed him with a thunderous uppercut.
In the following segment, the legend launched one of the biggest shots of his career, connecting with a monstrous shot to send his opponent face-first into the canvas.
The referee called a halt to the action, resulting in the superstar conquering another division.
Could Manny Pacquiao have beaten Floyd Mayweather before loss to Juan Manuel Marquez?
In 2008, Pacquiao was lethal, with many believing he could’ve beaten Floyd Mayweather.
Alas, by the time he finally set foot inside the ring with ‘Money’ he was a shadow of himself.
The American ended up winning comfortably on points. However, would things have been different had the fight occurred before the eight-weight world champion’s loss to Juan Manuel Marquez?
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Knockout, a Hall of Famer said whether a prime Pacquiao could’ve defeated Mayweather.