Boxing's biggest knockout: Filipinos in shock as Manny Pacquiao is knocked out

Filipinos jumped from their seats and watched in horror as Manny Pacquiao fell face first to the canvas after being knocked out by Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

Cinemas, hotels, public parks and even army bases across the Philippines fell silent on Sunday as Pacquiao, the only boxer to win world titles in eight weight divisions, tasted his second straight defeat this year.

"I'm so shocked, I can't believe it when Manny was ahead on points," barber Pedro Varela told Reuters after watching the fight at a cinema in a Manila shopping mall.

"It was a good fight, Manny gave it all. He was impressive, It was one lucky punch from Marquez."

The 39-year-old Marquez, who had lost twice and drawn once in their three previous meetings, sent Pacquiao crashing to the canvas with a stinging right hand with a second left in the sixth round of their non-title welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

A bloodied Juan Manuel Marquez sensationally knocked out Manny Pacquiao in the sixth round of their non-title welterweight bout on Saturday, getting his first win over the Filipino in four attempts.

The 39-year-old Mexican, who had lost twice and drawn once in their three previous meetings, sent Pacquiao crashing to the canvas with a stinging right hand with one second left in the round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Filipino southpaw fell face first and remained motionless for several minutes before finally getting up, smiling at Marquez and then shaking his opponent's hand in middle of the ring.

Social media sites were abuzz after the fight, with fans praising both fighters while there was also outpourings of disbelief that Pacquiao lost.

The army said Pacquiao, an elected congressman and a lieutenant-colonel in the reserve force, was still "an icon of perseverance, excellence and dedication not only to the soldiers but to millions of Filipinos".

"Pacquiao did his best but Marquez turned out to be the better boxer," military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said in a statement.

Some Filipinos said Pacquiao might retire after the loss.

"I think that's the end of his career," state worker Miguel Manalo said.

Manila's streets were deserted during the fight as Filipinos tuned into see the action. Police authorities have said crime rates drop every time Pacquiao enters the ring.

The shocking ending stunned the crowd of 16,348 as Marquez had held his own in their first three fights but failed he to get a victory and had never knocked down Pacquiao until Saturday night.

There was no title on the line but plenty of pride as four division champ Marquez showed he was willing to go toe-to-toe with Pacquiao even after getting knocked down in the fifth round of this fight.

"We knew it was going to be a very difficult fight but we knew it was possible to win," a beaming Marquez said ringside after improving his record to 55-6-1 with 40 knockouts.

Pacquiao, who had been knocked down in the third round, sent Marquez to the floor in the fifth and looked to be getting the better of the fight until the stunning knockout.

"He's not an easy opponent," Pacquiao said after slipping to 54-5-2 with 38 knockouts.

"I did my best. I know that I got him in the last couple of rounds but I started to be over-confident and I got hit by a solid punch. I did not expect that punch."

Asked if he would like to fight Marquez for a fifth time, Pacquiao replied: "Yes, why not? It's a good fight."

Watched by a sell-out crowd of 16,000 that included former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and basketball great Magic Johnson, the two fighters made an energetic start with Pacquiao establishing a slight advantage through his lightning left jabs.

The Filipino caught the Mexican on the chin with a crunching left in the second round and dominated early in the third with his nimble footwork before he was stunningly sent to the canvas by a Marquez right hook.

It was the first time Pacquiao had been knocked down by Marquez in 39 rounds contested by the fighters.

The Filipino responded with a flurry of combinations in the fourth round, then dropped Marquez with a straight left in the fifth and the Mexican ended that round with a bloodied nose after being pinned against the ropes.

Pacquiao continued to dictate the pace, repeatedly forcing the Mexican to back-peddle before the Filipino was stunningly knocked out late in the sixth round by a rasping Marquez right.

BLOW BY BLOW

The fighters set a blistering pace, making it look unlikely this fight would go the distance as their three previous fights had.

"He is not an easy opponent," Pacquiao said. "I was just starting to feel confident and then I got careless."

Pacquiao was eager to redeem himself after suffering a controversial defeat in his most recent fight to Tim Bradley. "It was a good shot, but I was able to come back," Pacquiao said of the third-round knockdown.

Indeed, Pacquiao kept coming and Marquez appeared to be heading to his third defeat to Pacquiao after Marquez was bloodied and knocked down in the fifth.

Pacquiao came out attacking from the opening bell throwing lefts over the top of Marquez's gloves.

Pacquiao was the aggressor early, landing a solid left halfway through the second that jolted Marquez, stopping him in his tracks.

By the time the sixth round started Marquez looked a bloody mess, bleeding from a gash over his nose and from the mouth.

Both the third and fourth rounds ended with the boxers slugging it out in the centre of the ring in a fight that at times resembled more of a wild street brawl.

"After the first knockdown Manny came back and he was in charge," said Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach. "But he got a little too careless."

Spectators got their money's worth as the fight more than lived up to its pre-fight hype.

Much of the pre-fight buzz centred around the judging after Marquez claimed he had been cheated out of previous wins.

In the end, Marquez took matters into his own hands making sure referee Kenny Bayless and the three judges - Adalaide Byrd, Steve Weisfeld and John Keane - weren't going to decide it.

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