Manny Pacquiao vs Hector Velazquez

Manny Pacquiao returned to winning form by stopping Hector Velazquez at 2 minutes 59 seconds of the sixth round at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on September 10, 2005. Both men weighed 130 lb for their scheduled 12-round contest for the vacant WBC International super-featherweight title. Pacquiao entered with a record of 39 wins, three defeats and two draws, while Velazquez brought 42 victories, 10 defeats and two draws. Lou Moret was the referee.

The contest mattered more to Pacquiao than the secondary championship suggested. Six months earlier, he had lost a close but unanimous decision to Erik Morales after being cut during a demanding 12-round fight. A return meeting was already under discussion, and both men appeared on the Los Angeles bill in separate contests. Morales faced Zahir Raheem in the main event while Pacquiao was matched with Velazquez, a seasoned Mexican who had won five consecutive bouts but had previously been stopped four times. The crowd of 10,584 contained a substantial Filipino following, with reports estimating that Pacquiao’s supporters made up about 40 per cent of those present.

Pacquiao made an unusually restrained beginning. Instead of rushing forward behind his customary straight left, he spent much of the opening round measuring Velazquez and searching for his distance. The Mexican took advantage, landing right hands to the head and keeping the southpaw from establishing his rhythm. All three judges awarded Velazquez the first round. Two of them also gave him the second, during which Pacquiao remained short of his usual pace and was still being caught by occasional right hands.

The direction of the contest changed in the third. Velazquez became more willing to engage, but that placed him inside Pacquiao’s faster punching range. Following instructions from trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquiao began concentrating upon the body, driving hooks into the ribs before returning upstairs with his straight left. His feet also became more active, allowing him to step into range, release a combination and move away before Velazquez could answer. The Mexican continued to compete honestly but was now being beaten to the punch.

Pacquiao increased the pressure through the fourth and fifth rounds. His body attack slowed Velazquez’s movement and gradually lowered the challenger’s guard, creating openings for the left hand to the head. Velazquez remained durable and occasionally landed a right as Pacquiao came forward, but his own punches lacked the force needed to discourage the Filipino. Near the end of the fifth, Pacquiao struck him with a hard left to the face, which drew a loud response from the crowd and sent Velazquez back to his corner under increasing pressure.

After five rounds, Pacquiao led 49-46 on the cards of Marty Sammon and Steve English, while Alejandro Rochin had him ahead 48-47. The champion had recovered from his slow opening and swept the third, fourth and fifth on all three cards. His greater speed had become decisive, but it was the sustained work to the body which had reduced Velazquez’s resistance and prepared the finish.

Pacquiao opened the sixth with a right hook that staggered Velazquez, then immediately followed with punches to the head and body. The Mexican was forced towards the ropes on several occasions as Pacquiao attacked in bursts, briefly escaped and then found himself trapped again. The official record credited Pacquiao with two knockdowns during the round. In the closing seconds, he drove Velazquez back with a body shot and a sharp punch to the head, then released a succession of unanswered blows as the Mexican stood near the ropes.

Velazquez dropped to one knee one second before the bell. Moret continued the count after the round had expired, as required, and Velazquez rose at eight. He was unsteady and began staggering across the ring rather than returning safely to his corner. Moret examined him and stopped the contest without allowing the minute’s rest between rounds. The referee later explained that Velazquez’s body had ceased responding properly and that permitting him to continue would have exposed him to unnecessary punishment.

Pacquiao’s record improved to 40-3-2, with 31 victories inside the distance. He received a reported purse of $750,000 and gained the WBC International title, but the more significant result was the restoration of his position among the leading super-featherweights. He had demonstrated patience after an uncertain start, altered his attack by working downstairs and then finished with the speed and force for which he had become known.

The expected path towards a second contest with Morales was complicated later that evening when Raheem outboxed the Mexican over 12 rounds. Nevertheless, Pacquiao and Morales met again four months later. The Velazquez victory therefore served its intended purpose. Pacquiao corrected some of the faults exposed in the first Morales fight, recovered his confidence, and showed he could break down an experienced opponent without relying solely on an immediate assault.

I remember Pacquiao looking unusually flat for the opening couple of rounds against Hector Velazquez. That mattered because Manny was rebuilding after losing to Erik Morales, and people wanted to know whether Morales had exposed him. Velazquez was experienced, tough and confident enough to land the right hand early, but he made the mistake of believing Pacquiao would remain at that pace.

Once Manny started working the body, the fight changed completely. That was the technical improvement worth noticing. He wasn’t merely charging forward and throwing the straight left. He used the right hook to move Velazquez into position, dug underneath the elbows and then brought the left upstairs. Velazquez became slower, more upright and increasingly unable to escape the ropes.

The stoppage in the sixth came after Pacquiao had taken away the Mexican’s legs with sustained body work. Velazquez rose near the bell but was unsteady, and Lou Moret was right to stop it. There was nothing brave about sending him out for another round when his body had stopped responding. This was not Pacquiao at his most polished, but it showed growing patience. He learned during the fight, adjusted and finished properly.