The fight, from beginning to end, was a lop-sided affair. Although a heavy favorite coming into the fight, the people expected a fairly decent boxing match would ensue. Since Pacquiao had to gain weight to be able to compete in the lightweight level, some people expect him to struggle or even come on sluggish as he gets used to his added bulk. But surprisingly, Manny Pacquiao was light on his feet and ferocious in his attacks – his jabs were strong, his hooks and crosses were fast and powerful, and his combinations seem to faze his opponent more and more as the fight went on.

In the second round, the defending champion David Diaz suffered a cut on his nose bridge and it would only get worse from there. Manny Pacquiao seemed to toy with his opponent, throwing powerful combinations and using quick lateral movements and maneuvers to effectively evade Diaz’s counters. At the end of the fourth round, Diaz’s face turned into crimson red as blood from a nasty cut gushed down his head. In the succeeding rounds this wound opened up some more, prompting the Doctor to take a quick look-see. The fight should have been stopped then. It was apparent that Pacquiao would win and it would have been merciful if not for Diaz, then for the people watching – it was more like a beat down than a boxing match.

You could almost feel sorry for Diaz as he took one thundering punch after another. Even Pacquiao was concerned after the ninth round knockdown. Manny went to Diaz’s side as if to help him get to his feet, but seeing that the defending champ was OK, he proceeded to a corner and said a prayer as his usual ritual after a fight.

On this night when Pacquiao inducted himself to boxing lore with this historic win, it seemed like a fairy tale ending to his journey in his boxing career. But with the new and improved Pacquiao, cutting away from his “brawler” reputation, this may only be the beginning of an unprecedented march to boxing royalty.