LAS VEGAS - Manny Pacquiao dominated his bigger and more famous opponent from the opening bell Saturday night, giving Oscar de la Hoya such a beating he declined to come out of his corner after the eighth round.

LAS VEGAS - Manny Pacquiao dominated his bigger and more famous opponent from the opening bell Saturday night, giving Oscar de la Hoya such a beating he declined to come out of his corner after the eighth round.

The welterweight fight was so lopsided and De la Hoya looked so inept that it could spell the end for boxing's richest and most marketable star.

It was only the second time in De la Hoya's 16-year pro career that he was stopped in a fight, and it was made even more shocking because it came at the hands of a fighter who fought as a lightweight months earlier.

At the age of 35 he seemed not only well beyond his prime, but unable to offer any answer to the punches that Pacquiao was landing almost at will. De La Hoya's left eye was closed shut as he sat on his stool after the eighth round and the ring doctor, referee and his cornermen discussed his condition. - Sapa-AP