ARLINGTON, Tex. – Manny Pacquiao’s congregation wore T-shirts that said it all. Say it all.

Manny Knows

Does he ever.

There’s never a hint of doubt in that enigmatic smile and child-like eyes. Pacquiao never doubts. He just believes and on Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium he crushed those doubts and Antonio Margarito with hands that deliver an unrivalled mix of speed and power.

Questions about Pacquiao’s commitment and priorities were everywhere and building for weeks before he would challenge for an unprecedented eighth title, junior middleweight, at a catch weight. He was said to be more of a politician than a puncher since his election to the Filipino Congress. The guessing game was that he wanted a political title more than a boxing one. When he isn’t in the ring, maybe he does.

But at opening bell, this Congressman is still the pound-for-pound champion.

Margarito never had a chance in losing a decision. It was more than unanimous. It was one-sided. Judge Jurgen Langos scored it 120-108. It was 118-100 on Glen Crocker’s card. Oren Schellenbruger had it 119-109. On the 15 Rounds card, Margarito won only one round, the eighth, out of the scheduled 12. Even that one might qualify as a gift to the gutsy Margarito, who withstood a blinding succession of combinations and was clearly finished after the ninth.

“He is a tough fighter,’’ said Pacquiao, (52-3-2, 38 KOs), who said he was hurt by body punch along the ropes in the sixth.

But he is a slow fighter.

That became oh-so-evident quickly.

Seconds after the opening bell, Pacquiao was more effective with a consistent jab and an accurate right that began to expose Margarito’s ponderous lack of speed.

Pacquiao’s right landed, landed and landed in the first round. There it was again in the second, even in the face of a more aggressive Margarito, who landed an uppercut that served as an early warning and a powerful reminder that standing still was a one-way ticket to defeat for the Filipino.

Suddenly, a crowd announced at 41,734 began to witness answers to questions about Pacquiao had done the roadwork. He had. From round-to-round, Margarito moved forward. He knows no other way.

Through at least seven rounds, Pacquiao darted out of the corner, off the ropes, around Margarito as he landed a bewildering array of punches off-balance and always on the fly.

“He is the fastest fighter of our era,’’ Margarito trainer Robert Garcia said. “We’ve never seen anything like him.’’

In the later rounds, Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) had trouble seeing at all.

In the third round, Pacquiao opened up a cut below Margarito’s right eye with an uppercut. With each round, the swelling grew and it looked as if it began to affect Margarito’s vision. By the 11th, even Pacquaio was concerned. He turned and seemed to ask referee Laurence Cole to stop it.

“My opponent looked bad,’’ Pacquiao said. “I didn’t want to damage him permanently.’’

But damage might have been done to Margarito’s future as fighter. At least, Roach thought so.

Margarito, Roach said, has “the worst corner.’’ Garcia, he said, should have stopped the fight to save Margarito’s career. But Margarito would not quit and said so in the ring after it was over. His pride, his Mexican heritage, would not permit surrender, he said. Still, there was no chance at victory either.

Magarito came into the ring just three pounds lighter than a super-middleweight and 17 pounds heavier than Pacquiao, who at 148 pounds was just one heavier than a welterweight.

Margarito gained 15 pounds between weigh-in and opening bell. He grabbed the water bottle after stepping off the official scale Friday and must have kept room service busy with orders for pasta, more pasta, for the next few hours.

But the early issue involved something that isn’t on any menu. Ephedra, a stimulant, is illegal. Roach suggested that Margarito might have been sprinkling it onto that pasta, or spiking his breakfast cup of coffee with the stuff.

In the end, neither the pounds nor ephedra, not anything else mattered.

But like the T-shirt said Pacquiao already knew that.

A good, sometimes great fight, unfolded while laptops at ringside were abuzz with tweets about a locker room debate initiated by Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, who asked that Antonio Margarito undergo drug testing for ephedra, an illegal stimulant.

It wasn’t clear who was winning in the locker room.

It also wasn’t clear who was winning in the ring between Philadelphia welterweight Mike Jones (23-0, 18 KOs) and Mexican Jesus Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs). In the end, Jones got the nod, a 12-round majority decision, over Soto-Karass.

Jones and Karass brought the crowd to its feet with a toe-to-toe, free-swinging exchange in the second. Jones won the round. For awhile, however, it looked as if had lost the fight. He nearly exhausted himself and Soto-Karass capitalized with stubborn aggressiveness and body shots followed by head-rocking right hands. Judge Serio Caiz scored it 97-93 for Jones. Jones won, 95-94, on Levi Martinez’ card. Gale Van Hoy scored it 94-94, leaving Soto-Karass with a tough loss to go along with bloody cuts near both eyes.

Guillermo Rigondeaux (7-0, 5 KOs), an Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, won a fight, but no fans. They had a new way to spell his name, as in Rigondull.

That’s what his split decision over Panamanian Ricardo Cordoba (37-3-2, 23 KOs) for a World Boxing Association interim junior-featherweight title was: Dull, dull and duller. Did we forget to say dull?

The only cheers were for legendary Roberto Duran, who accompanied Cordoba into the ring. After that, there were yawns, then boos and even the wave, which might have been the most derisive gesture from bored fans awaiting Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito.

For awhile, it sounded as if the restless crowd was watching the Cowboys, who have yet to win a game this NFL season on the home turf beneath the ring.

Rigondeaux escaped with a victory, in part because Cordoba went down on to a knee in the fourth from an apparent body shot. The Cuban won 117-109 on one judge’s card and 114-112 on a second. The third judge scored it 114-112 for Cordoba.

For the first time in days, there were cheers for Brandon Rios, who had been booed for mocking Manny Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach’s Parkinson’s symptoms in a controversial video.

Rios was booed at Friday’s weigh-in.

He was booed when he walked to the ring Saturday for the first fight on the HBO pay-per-view telecast that featured Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito. And booed when he stepped through the ropes. And when he was introduced.

The cheers came later, after Rios (26-0-1, 19 KOs), a super-lightweight from Oxnard, Calif., was declared the winner by TKO over Omri Lowther (14-3, 10 KOs) of Valdosta, Ga.

Rios cut off the ring, cut off every avenue of escape and began to subject Lowther to a withering succession of body punches. In the fifth, a few well-placed head shots brought about the inevitable end for an exhausted Lowther.

An Antonio Margarito sparring partner was beaten up in the gym and beaten Saturday night on the card’s opening bout.

Los Angeles welterweight Rashad Holloway (11-2-2, 5 KOs) lost an unanimous decision to Dennis Laurente (35-3-4, 17 KOs), one of Manny Pacquiao’s fellow Filipinos.

Fellow Filipinos already in their seats at Cowboys Stadium probably hoped that was a good sign for their revered Congressman in a main event scheduled to start six hours after the opener. For Margarito fans, it might have been a sign of what they hope he will do to Pacquiao.

Margarito reportedly hurt Holloway in sparring. One of his injuries was reported to be a dislocated eye socket. Holloway never had a chance against Laurente, who won seven of eight rounds on one card, six on another and five on the third.

In the second bout, Mexican super-lightweight Oscar Meza (20-4, 17 KOs) left no questions, scoring a knockdown in the fourth and final round for a unanimous decision over Jose Hernandez (10-3, 4 KOs) of Dallas.

There were some questions in the third fight. Filipino flyweight Richie Mepranum (17-3-1, 3 KOs) got the favorable answer, an eight-round split decision over Anthony Villareal (10-4, 6 KOs), of Perris, Calif.

Phoenix prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. (9-0, 9 KOs) knocked fellow super-lightweight Winston Mathis (6-3, 2 KOs) of Stockbridge, Ga., down and around, but never much sense into him.

After scoring two knockdowns in the first round, Benavidez sent Mathis up and back onto his heels with a looping right that landed with the impact of bat onto a fastball. Referee Neal Young looked into the hazy daze of Mathis’ eyes. What he saw was obvious: The end.

Young stopped it at 2:24 of the third. But the stoppage angered Mathis, who for a moment raised his hands and ran at Young as if he had decided to continue the fight against a different opponent. Mathis lost that one, too

Notre Dame graduate Mike Lee did to Keith Debow what the Irish used to do to Navy. He mauled him. Lucky for Debow, this one didn’t last four quarters.

It was over at 1:33 of the first round.

Lee’s report record as a light-heavyweight remained perfect (3-0) with his second knockout, which came about as a result of big right hand followed by several more against defenseless Debow (0-3-1), a St. Louis who leaned on a neutral ring post as though it if it were the only thing keeping him up and in the ring.

First-round stoppages began to become a theme in the next bout, the sixth on a card scheduled for 11. Dallas featherweight Robert Marroquin (17-0, 13 KOs) scored the encore, knocking down Mexican Francisco Dominguez (8-8, 7 KOs) twice within 87 seconds for a TKO victory at 1:27 of the first.

It was a swing fight. For super-featherweights Angel Rodriguez (6-4-2, 4 KOs) of Houston and Juan Martin Elorde (11-1, 4 KOs) of the Philippines, it was swing and mostly miss through flour erratic rounds. Rodriguez missed less often Elorde. He scored a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Filipino.

Photo By Cgris Farina / Top Rank

Undefeated Welterweight Mike Jones works out for his showdown with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito card

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Undefeated Mike Jones talks about his showdown with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito card

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Fairless Hills, PA–Undefeated welterweight contender Mike Jones, of Philadelphia, PA, opened up his training camp at the 10th Round Gym in Fairless Hills, PA, last week in preparation for his Nov. 13 fight with Jesus Soto-Karass at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, TX.

The Jones vs. Soto-Karass fight opens up the pay-per-view telecast that night on a card which features Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title in the main event.

Among Jones’ sparring partners are fellow-Philadelphians Gabriel Rosado and Raymond Serrano. Rosado (14-5, 8 K0s) is on the verge of his own world ranking at junior middleweight while Serrano (13-0, 6 K0s) is quietly moving up through the welterweight division.

Jones also has been working with unbeaten junior welterweight Ronald Cruz (9-0, 6 K0s), of Bethlehem, PA.

A pro since 2005, the 27-year-old Jones is ranked between No. 2 and No. 4 by all four major world sanctioning bodies. At stake in this scheduled 10-rounder will be Jones’ NABA and NABO welterweight belts.
“I am taking time off from my job (forklift operator at Home Depot in Cherry Hill, NJ) to concentrate on my boxing career,” Jones said. “This is a big fight for me. Soto-Karass is not a pushover and I need to be fully prepared—as usual—for this match. It’s a whole new stage for me and I need to be focused 100 percent.”

Other major fights on the PPV card include: Kelly Pavlik, of Youngstown, OH, vs. Bryan Vera, of Austin, TX, 10 rounds, super middleweights; Guillermo Rigondeaux, of Miami, FL, vs. Ricardo Cordoba, of San Miguelito, Panama, 12 rounds, super bantamweights.

Photo by Claudia Bocanegra

Undefeated Welterweight Mike Jones talks about his November 13th fight with Jesus Soto Karass on the Manny Pacquiao – Antonio Margarito Undercard

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World ranked welterweight contender Jesus Soto Karass was the headliner, but two fighters with just seven combined pro fights stole the spotlight Saturday night on the latest installment of the “Top Rank Live” series from the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.

WBC #15/IBF #13 ranked welterweight Soto Karass had hoped to get back in the win column after a disappointing finish to his bout against Alfonso Gomez on the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey undercard in March. Instead, Soto Karass again went home disappointed Saturday in Chicago after his fight with completely unheralded Gabriel Martinez was ruled a no contest after a single solitary round.

Nothing of note occurred in the three minutes of action, other than an accidental head clash that opened a terrible gash underneath Martinez’ left eye. As Martinez (24-1-1, 13 KOs) of Empalme, Sonora, Mexico took a step forward, Soto Karass (24-4-3, 16 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico leaped in with a looping right hand. The end result was the headbutt, which caused the stoppage in between rounds one and two.

For Soto Karass, 149, Saturday’s no contest was just another speed bump in a long career that has come a bit off track. Two point deductions cost him a draw against Gomez in their abbreviated six-round encounter. Prior to that bout, Soto Karass had gone on a solid win streak, picking up wins over some noteworthy names since his last defeat in 2005. For the unknown Martinez, 149, a precious opportunity was dashed and his cut will likely keep him out of the ring for some time. Martinez previous credentials included a draw against then unbeaten prospect Euri Gonzalez in 2007 and a kayo by ten against praised Mexican welterweight prospect Saul Alvarez in 2008.

The ticket-seller, as well as most locally and nationally publicized fighter on the card Mike Lee (1-0) of Chicago launched his pro career with a four-round unanimous decision over Emmit Woods (0-4-1) of Saint Joseph, Missouri in the night’s special attraction. Lee, reportedly singled-handedly responsible for $110,000 in ticket sales, pleased his large contingent of supporters as he won every round against the perfectly-matched Woods. Lee, 174, played up his Notre Dame graduate status by wearing the colors of the “Fighting Irish,” before taking the fight to the defensive-minded Woods, 171.

Woods presented little resistance, which was by the matchmaker’s design obviously, but Lee did prove to have the basic fundamentals of at least an ordinary fighter. Whether or not Lee, who has been under the tutelage of renowned trainer Ronnie Shields for the past two months, can turn into a true prospect remains to be seen. Lee does have the promoter in Top Rank that a fighter in his situation would want. Those who thought the career of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was moved painfully slow may need to hold on for the path that Lee’s career will tread.

Even with the action coming from one direction, the Lee crowd found reasons to chant his name, hoot and holler. After four rounds of arm-punching flurries with Woods covering up against the ropes, a visibly winded Lee was declared the winner on all three judges’ scorecards. Scores read 40-36 across the board for the former Chicago Golden Gloves Champion Lee.

With all the attention heaped on Lee, many fight fans at the UIC Pavilion on Saturday may end up recalling their presence at the event one day as the night they saw a young Jose Benavidez Jr. knockout Ronnie Peterson in one round. That is exactly what happened in the first fight of the night, which was held back to be the final fight on the Fox Spots en Espanol telecast.

Benavidez Jr. (6-0, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles, California by way of Phoenix, Arizona grabbed headlines earlier in the week when his scheduled July 17th Arizona homecoming was cancelled. The event was called off when sponsors threatened to pull out if it were held in Arizona, due to the controversial legislative measure SB 1070 that was signed into Arizona law. In public protest, Benavidez wore a shirt with the characters SB 1070 written across it with a circle and slash through it.

Peterson (3-2, 3 KOs) of Mounds View, Minnesota was in over his head with the classy Benavidez, 139, from the start. It would eventually be a body shot that would down Peterson, 138 ½, and end the fight. Time of the stoppage was 2:45 of the first. The July 17th event is reportedly moving to border city Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, but Benavidez will first return to the ring on June 24th on the Latin Fury card emanating from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Light welterweight prospect Ivan Popoca (14-0-1, 10 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois by way of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico survived a brief scare to pass the toughest test of his career thus far and score a fifth-round stoppage over Jose Luis Soto Karass (20-15-1, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles by way of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico.

Popoca, 138, quickly found Soto Karass, 138, to be a determined and willing adversary, as the two combatants got right to work from the start. After flip-flopping the opening two rounds, Popoca briefly looked to be taking control before a sudden turn in the fourth. About thirty seconds into the round, Soto Karass landed a perfect right hand counter to surprise and drop the crowd favorite Popoca. Popoca got back to his feet, but was still on unsteady legs as he tried to hold on to Soto Karass. By midway through the round, Popoca, who had not yet completely regained his footing, was out landing a tired Soto Karass.

Soto Karass seemed to hurt Popoca early in the fifth, but the Chicago resident would not stop coming forward. As Soto Karass again began to slow his output, Popoca landed a crisp right hand to wobble and eventually drop his opponent. With a little help from one of the middle ropes, Soto Karass got to his feet before the count of ten. However, referee Gerald Scott waved of the bout at 2:07 of the round

Antonio Avila (3-1, 1 KO) of Chicago scored a four-round unanimous decision over David Laque (2-5-1, 2 KOs) of Bloomington, Minnesota. Avila, 134, had trouble with the southpaw stance of Laque, 138, in the first round. By the opening of the second round, Avila settled into his boxing stance and began to time the awkward Laque. A wide left hook for Avila excited the crowd and removed Laque’s mouthpiece late in the round. Avila proved to have the better conditioning, as Laque never gave up, but seemed to run out of gas. Some heated back-and-forth action closed the fight which was scored unanimously for Avila, 40-36.

Wendel Boyd Henley (5-0-1, 5 KOs) of Kansas City, Missouri and Marcus Thompkins (5-0-1, 2 KOs) of Michigan City, Indiana both remained undefeated after fighting to a six-round majority draw. Henley, 147, was the aggressor, but Thompkins, 145, was at times an effective counter puncher. In the end, the scores were 59-55 for Henley and 57-57 twice.

Krzysztof Zimnoch (3-0-1, 3 KOs) of Bialystok, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland remained perfect with a third-round knockout of Michael Moncrief (3-7-1, 1 KO) of Cleveland, Ohio. Zimnoch, 230, landed a right uppercut that stunned Moncrief, 245, in the third. Zimnoch quickly followed up with a hellacious series of unanswered shots that prompted referee Gerald Scott to stop the contest at 2:12 of the round.

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com