Manny Pacquiao vs Prayat Sawaingam

Four knockdowns in a single round brought a swift end to a mandatory world championship challenge in Davao City. Manny Pacquiao retained his IBF super bantamweight title against Prayat Sawaingam, better known as Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, at the Rizal Memorial Colleges Gym on 26 October 2002. Referee Bruce McTavish stopped the scheduled twelve-round contest at 2 minutes 46 seconds of the opening round, after the Thai challenger had been repeatedly floored and could no longer continue.

Pacquiao weighed 122 pounds, while Sawaingam came in at 121. This was the Filipino’s third defence of the championship he had won from Lehlo Ledwaba. His most recent defence had ended with Jorge Eliecer Julio being stopped in two rounds on the Lennox Lewis versus Mike Tyson programme in Memphis. Sawaingam entered with 37 victories and two defeats. The occasion in Davao included a display of traditional dance before the main event, with Pacquiao carried towards the ring on a platform held by supporters. The ceremony lasted longer than the contest that followed.

The challenger attempted to keep Pacquiao away with straight punches, but his limited foot movement left him exposed to the champion’s faster attacks. A right hand caught Sawaingam as he moved backwards to avoid a left and produced the first knockdown. He beat the count, though his unsteady legs showed the effect of the blow. Pacquiao immediately resumed his assault, combining punches to the head and body as the challenger tried to protect himself. There was little opportunity for Sawaingam to recover his balance or establish a safe distance.

Sawaingam went down twice more under the continued attack, rising each time. The third knockdown did not automatically end the contest because the three-knockdown rule was not in operation. McTavish allowed him to proceed because he was still attempting to fight back. Pacquiao gave him no respite, and the fourth knockdown brought the referee’s intervention. Afterwards, McTavish explained: “I hesitated to stop it after the third knockdown because Fahprakorb was fighting back.” The challenger remained down while receiving medical attention and was sent to Davao Doctors Hospital for examination after ringside physician Dr Nasser Cruz diagnosed a concussion.

Pacquiao’s record advanced to 35 victories, two defeats and one draw, while Sawaingam suffered his third loss. The champion said afterwards that he had not expected such an early finish. His work with the right hand had been a deliberate part of his preparation against another southpaw, and it supplied the opening that began the sequence of knockdowns. Once Sawaingam was hurt, Pacquiao’s sustained combinations prevented a recovery and settled the defence before the first bell.

This was Pacquiao’s homecoming bout after winning the title from Ledwaba and then defending it against Agapito Sanchez and Jorge Julio. Against Sawaingam, better known as Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym, he gave the Davao crowd another early finish. But the useful detail is the right hand. Manny had deliberately worked on it against a fellow southpaw, and it produced the first knockdown. You couldn’t simply watch for his left and expect to stay safe.

The challenger’s feet were too slow. Once hurt, he couldn’t create enough space to recover, and Pacquiao kept putting punches together. This wasn’t just power; it was speed and the ability to follow one successful attack with another before the opponent could reorganise.

My criticism is that it went on too long. Four knockdowns in one round were unnecessary. McTavish said the Thai was still fighting back after the third, but throwing something back doesn’t automatically mean a boxer is fit to continue. I’d have stopped it there. Pacquiao deserved his victory; the challenger deserved protection sooner.