Manny Pacquiao vs Erik Morales

On March 19, 2005, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada hosted the highly anticipated super featherweight boxing match between Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao. The bout was billed as "Coming With Everything" and was promoted by Top Rank. Morales was ranked as the No. 2 fighter in the 130-pound division by The Ring, while Pacquiao was the featherweight champion according to the same publication.

Pacquiao, who was the betting favorite at 7-5, was moving up to the 130-pound division for the first time. However, he struggled to make weight and later claimed that he was feeling drained and weak due to dehydration. Despite this, Pacquiao came out strong in the early rounds, displaying his signature speed and power. However, Morales' counterpunching proved to be effective, and he began to take control of the fight as it progressed.

In the later rounds, Morales landed a series of body shots that visibly weakened Pacquiao. The Filipino fighter tried to mount a comeback, but Morales' superior ring generalship and effective defense prevented him from doing so. In the end, Morales won the fight via unanimous decision, with scores of 115-113, 115-113, and 114-113.

Morales was guaranteed a purse of $2.5 million for the fight, while Pacquiao was guaranteed $1.75 million. The bout was distributed by HBO PPV and was watched by a large audience both in the United States and around the world. The fight was widely regarded as one of the best of the year and established Morales as a top fighter in the super featherweight division.

After the fight, Pacquiao revealed to Filipino talk show host Dong Puno that he had felt dizzy and weak after his blood was taken, and that he had been unable to drink enough water due to dehydration from cutting weight. Despite this, Pacquiao acknowledged Morales' superior performance and promised to come back stronger in their next encounter.