MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao's lightning-quick fists were more than enough to weather a tornado in Texas.
Pacquiao's blazing speed was too much for Antonio Margarito to handle as the Filipino icon stormed his way to a unanimous decision win to clinch the vacant WBC junior middleweight title - his eighth in as many weight divisions - at a packed Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
More than 40,000 fans trooped to the $1.2 billion stadium to witness Pacquiao brutalize Margarito with his usual spitfire combinations.
The fight, set at a catchweight of 150 pounds, ended up to be a one-sided match.
Pacquiao started out strong and threw combinations that puzzled the game Mexican.
By the fourth round, Margarito sported a shiner under the right eye that continued to swell throughout the fight.
Margarito proved to be a tough customer as advertised. The Mexican, enjoying a height and reach advantage, managed to pin Pacquiao to the ropes with some body shots from rounds six to eight.
The Filipino, however, retaliated each time and spinned his way out of trouble. By round 10, Margarito's right eye was closed, prompting the referee to consult the ringside physician, who decided to let the fight continue.
The three judges scored the fight lopsidedly for Pacquiao, 120-108, 118-110, and 119-109. Philstar.com had it a shutout for the Filipino, 12O-108.
"This was the hardest fight in my boxing career….I felt pity for him (in the last two rounds)," Pacquiao said in a post-fight interview.
With the win, Pacquiao has become the only boxer in history to clinch eight championships, having won linear and sanctioning organization titles at flyweight, junior featherweight, featherweight, super featherweight, lightweight, junior lightweight, welterweight and junior middleweight.