Critics who like to write off boxing as a moribund sport, a hopelessly old-fashioned victim of contemporary tastes and changing times, should have been at the Thomas & Mack Center shortly after 8 o'clock on Saturday night.
They would have seen, and heard, a crowd of 18,276 - the third-largest to witness a boxing match in Southern Nevada - wildly waving flags from Mexico and the Philippines as it stood and offered deafening support to two of the sport's most talented fighters.
Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao gave them all the exhilaration they could handle, exchanging hard combinations of punches for three furious rounds before Pacquiao finished off the legendary Mexican warrior at 2 minutes, 57 seconds of Round 3.
As Morales sat on the canvas - unable to recover after Pacquiao sent him there for the third time of the night - Pacquiao jubilated in having established himself as not only the world's top super featherweight, but also boxing's most exciting and crowd-pleasing fighter.
Both men repeatedly said Pacquiao's speed and power made the difference in one of the most sensational fights in recent years, at least in terms of pure adrenaline.
"I was so much stronger and faster than him," said Pacquiao (43-3-2, 33 knockouts), hailed as a national treasure in his native Philippines. "He was coming to me, but he was not able to handle me."
Morales (48-5) was left to ponder retirement after losing for the fourth time in five fights.
"For the first time in my career, I actually felt the power of my opponent," Morales said. "I actually felt his punches, which never happened to me before.
"I think it's time to maybe think about doing something else. Maybe it's time to go home."
The only fights to draw bigger crowds here were the 1992 match between Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector Camacho at the Thomas & Mack (about 19,000 including standing-room tickets); and the 1982 bout between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney at Caesars Palace (about 30,000).
But this weekend's bout was eliciting comparisons to another fight at Caesars: Marvin Hagler's third-round knockout of Thomas Hearns in the middleweight showdown immortalized as the "Eight Minute War" on April 15, 1985.
Just as in that classic, a powerful left-hander prevailed Saturday night, imposing his will after standing up to a formidable attack from a highly respected opponent.
"I told him to use his fast footwork, use his combinations, step side to side and use his angles," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach said. "Manny did it perfectly.
"Erik needs to set to punch. Every time we made a move, he had to readjust. Erik showed a lot of heart; he took a lot of punches out there. Manny did everything I wanted him to."
Pacquiao knocked Morales down once in the second round and twice in the third, incorporating his brutally effective right hook into multiple-punch flurries. He battered Morales against the ropes, then effectively handled a series of shots as a Morales, ever the professional, gamely tried to respond with a rally of his own.
The action kept the fans roaring and on their feet for most of the fight, and virtually the entire final round.
"In the second round, I knew he was hurt by my right hand," Pacquiao, a minus-250 betting favorite, said. "He never expected my right."
Morales said if he does fight again, it would probably be in his native Tijuana rather than in his accustomed venue of a megafight commanding international attention.
Pacquiao plans to remain in the 130-pound weight division, which is filled with potential big fights - including a possible rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera along with attractive bouts against the likes of Joan Guzman and Edwin Valero.
Promoter Bob Arum announced a four-year promotional deal Saturday night that would tie Pacquiao to Arum's Top Rank Inc. The deal could be subject to legal dispute, as Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions had claims on Pacquiao as well. Pacquiao declined to comment on his promotional situation.
Arum also called Pacquiao the "fightingest" boxer in the sport after his thrilling victory, which, although Webster's might not agree, sounds about right.
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