Heroes & Villains

Seven-time world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines returns to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, tonight to compete for an unprecedented eighth world title, but he has a huge road block ahead of him in Antonio Margarito of Mexico. Margarito will have a 4½-inch height advantage over Pacquiao and likely to be almost 15 pounds heavier once the two combatants enter the ring.

Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) weighed in at 144.6 pounds during Friday's weigh-in, more than five pounds below the 150-pound limit. He says the height and weight difference won't bother him tonight and the Filipino champion believes his speed will be the key to winning the fight.

Margarito (38-6-1, 27 knockouts) is a former welterweight champion who was suspended for a year after a plaster-like substance was found in his gloves when he fought Sugar Shane Mosley in 2009. A victory over Pacquiao, considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, would revive his career.

The last time Pacquiao fought at Cowboys Stadium the announced attendance was 50,994, the third-largest crowd to ever attend a boxing match. Tonight's bout could top that figure.

The tale of the tape:
-- Age: Pacquiao 31; Margarito 32
-- Weight: Pacquiao 144.6; Margarito 150
-- Height: Pacquiao 5-6 1/2; Margarito 5-11
-- Reach: Pacquiao 67"; Margarito 73"
-- Stance: Pacquiao (southpaw); Margarito (orthodox)
-- Pro Record: Pacquiao 51-3-2, 38 KOs; Margarito 38-6-1, 27 KOs

The preliminary bouts will start at 6 p.m. PST. The live round-by-round coverage, with my scores for each round, will begin at approximately 8 p.m. PST. on this site: SportsFanLive.com/heroesvillains

-- 6:10 p.m. PST: Brandon Rios is taking on Omri Lowther in one of the preliminary bouts. Rios is part of the Margarito camp.

-- 6:18 p.m. PST: Margarito is shown entering the stadium. He added 15 pounds overnight since the weigh-in. He'll carry about 165 pounds in the ring tonight.

-- 6:25 p.m. PST: Rios scores technical knockout in fifth round as referee steps in to halt the fight. He improves to 26-0-1.

-- 6:31 p.m. PST: About a half hour ago, Pacquiao enters the stadium with his massive entourage and settles into his dressing room. Pacquiao will weigh in around 148 pounds when he goes into the ring.

-- 6:44 p.m. PST: This current undercard is lifeless. Should just call it a draw and move on to the next bout.

-- 6:46 p.m. PST: Curious to see Mike Jones. Lot of hype surrounding him.

-- 7:01 p.m. PST: Freddie Roach is watching like a hawk as Margarito gets his hands wrapped in his dressing room.

-- 7:13 p.m. PST: Roach is still watching Margarito getting his hands wrapped by Robert Garcia. This may be the most watched hand-wrapping in boxing history.

-- 7:24 p.m. PST: Unless the next bout ends quick, the main event could start in a little over an hour.

-- 7:28 p.m. PST: Up next, Mike Jones takes on Jesus Soto-Karass.

-- 7:40 p.m. PST: A little dispute going in the Pacquiao dressing room. Margarito's trainer, Robert Garcia, is questioning the way Pacquiao's hands were wrapped. A little gamesmanship in the part of the young trainer. It's an obvious ploy to get under the skin of Pacquiao and Roach.

-- 7:45 p.m. PST: This latest dressing room spat just adds to the drama. Roach is visibly upset, so score one for Garcia for rattling his cage. In the meantime, Jones and Soto-Karass are giving fans their money's worth in the ring.

-- 7:48 p.m. PST: Roach's reply to Garcia's gamesmanship is that he's claiming Margarito is using a banned substance and wants an immediate drug test. Margarito's camp says they will get tested after the bout, but Roach claims the banned substance will be out of his system by the end of the night. This is getting good!

-- 8:28 p.m. PST: We're about 15 minutes away from the first bell of the main event. The crowd noise is so loud Jim Lampley is wearing a headset.

-- 8:31 p.m. PST: Three members of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders singing the national anthem. Nice.

-- 8:36 p.m. PST: Nelly in da house!

-- 8:37 p.m. PST: Didn't realize the pay-per-view package included a Nelly concert.

-- 8:45 p.m. PST: Margarito now entering the ring.

-- 8:48 p.m. PST: Pacquiao now entering the ring.

-- 8:50 p.m. PST: I'm digging the theme song from Karate Kid.

-- 8:53 p.m. PST: Do your thing Michael Buffer ... "Let's get ready to rumble!"

First round: Opening round is always a feeling-out process, and that's how this one starts. Margarito is smartly keeping his distance using the left jab. Pacquiao tries to go to the body and later sticks a straight left to Margarito's face. Pacquiao is connecting consistently and lands two more shots later in the round. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

Second round: Pacquiao opens the round with a straight left and his hand speed is bothering Margarito, but the Mexican fighter is beginning to land his own shots. It's a classic battle between size and strength vs. speed and quickness. Margarito scores two power shots while the two were in the middle of the ring. The bigger man is beginning to impose his size advantage. Round goes to Margarito, 10-9

Third round: Pacquiao starts off strong with quick shots to Margarito's head. Margarito continues to stalk the Filipino fighter, but his movement is a little slow and methodical. Pacquiao lands a big left cross that stuns Margarito and gets the crowd going. Margarito backs up Pacquiao to a corner, but Pacquiao lands a flurry of punches as Margarito covers up, and Pacman gets out of trouble. None of the shots hurt Margarito, but it certainly made him stop pursuing. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

Fourth round: Pacquiao puts together a string of combinations that snaps Margarito's head like a bobblehead doll. The Mexican fighter seems to be weakening. The Filipino champion is beginning to control the fight and there's a visible cut under the right eye of the Mexican fighter. Pacquiao's best round of the fight. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

Fifth round: Margarito comes out of his chair with a huge welt under his right eye. He starts the round pursuing Pacquiao hard, trying to get him on the ropes. But Pacquiao escapes by punching his way out of trouble. That's been the theme of the fight so far. Margarito doesn't have any snap on his punches as Pacman continues to pile up the points. An impressive round for Pacquiao. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

Sixth round: Margarito's right eye is nearly closing and it will be extremely hard for him to see out of that eye the rest of the bout. It's hard enough to catch the speedy Filipino with two good eyes, it'll be almost impossible to catch him with one good eye. This is looking like a sparring session between a great fighter and an average fighter. Pacquiao is taking a little breather, but he's still winning the round. Margarito connects with some power shots at the end of the round, but Pacquiao battles back and countered with his own power shots. Round goes to Pacquiao

Seventh round: Referee tells Margarito go to a corner to have the doctor check his right eye. Fight continues. That eye is getting worse as Margarito continues to absorb power shots from Pacquiao's left hand. Whenever the two are in the middle of the ring, Pacquiao is winning the exchanges. Each time Margarito makes his move, Pacquiao has an immediate counter move. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

Eighth round: So far, Pacquiao has won every round except one. Margarito gets Pacquiao on the ropes and begins to pound away, his best flurry of the night. But Pacquiao, again, gets out of trouble by punching his way out and delivers two huge power shots to Margarito's bloodied and battered face. Give Margarito credit for fighting back and continues his nonstop pursuit. Best round of the fight. Round goes to Margarito, 10-9

Ninth round: For the first time in the fight, Pacquiao is beginning to show signs of slowing down. But does Margarito have enough left in the tank to mount a serious attack? Pacquiao may have done enough to win the round. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

10th round: Pacquiao looks like he has regained his strength and begins the round bouncing around and firing shots from all angles. Margarito is target practice at this point, and Pacquiao has reestablished his dominance. Pacman punishes Margarito with some vicious shots to the head. The Mexican nods his head, telling the Filipino none of the punches hurt. Pacman's punches may not knock him out, but Margarito's face is turning into a bloody mess and the cut is getting worse. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

11th round: During the time in between, Margarito's trainer asks his fighter if he wants to continue. Margarito, with his right eye completely shut and swelling under his left eye, says he's fine. A true Mexican warrior, but on this night, he's been thoroughly outclassed and beaten badly by a world-class boxer. This fight is very close to being stopped. The referee is going to have to make the call because Margarito is not going to quit despite having zero snap in his punches. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

12th round: Pacquiao is content on boxing from a distance, but he's still connecting with regularly. His pinpoint accuracy and powerful left hand was the difference in this fight. Round goes to Pacquiao, 10-9

FIGHT SUMMARY: Pacquiao scores a unanimous decision, claims his 13th consecutive victory and a record eighth world title belt. Final stats show that he connected 58% of his power shots and was clearly the better fighter. He continues to defy the odds by beating up on taller and heavier opponents. Margarito, a natural welterweight, couldn't impose his size advantage over the smaller but much, much quicker and very active Filipino champion. For every one punch Margarito threw, Pacquiao countered with a two-, three- or four-punch combination. I scored the bout 10-2 in favor of Pacquiao, but this could have easily been a shutout. I awarded Margarito two rounds on pure guts, but he was thoroughly outclassed by one of the best fighters of his generation.