Aside from Miguel Cotto's WBA title defense against Joshua Clottey on Saturday, there were a few good shows in America on Friday night.

Former WBA light welter Diosbelys Hurtado, 42-3-1 (25), won a 12 round unanimous decision over Manuel Garnica, 25-11 (13), in defense of the WBO Latino strap and Cuban heavyweight prospect Odlanier Solis, 14-0 (10), rubbed out Dominique Alexander, 18-7-1 (9), in the first round.

At The Palms in Las Vegas, NV, ex-WBA super bantam boss Bones Adams, 44-6-4 (20), returned to the ring after a year on the sidelines to stop Alex "Ali" Baba, 26-16-1 (19), in the eighth stanza.

At the HP Pavilion in San Jose, CA, ex-featherweight world champion Robert Guerrero, 24-1-1 (17), made his lightweight debut by stopping former USBA titlist Efren Hinojosa, 30-6-1 (17), in the eighth frame of a ten rounder. More...

In a blistering display of skill and power, Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao won a world title in his fourth weight class by belting out WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz in the ninth round of a one-sided mismatch last night at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

It was clear from the start that Pacquiao was by far the better equipped fighter as the 29 year old living legend bombarded his fellow southpaw Diaz with a two handed assault that hardly wavered during the course of the bout.

Diaz began the contest by backing up Pacquiao, targeting the body of "Pac Man" but as the challenger began to find range with right hook and straight left counters, the WBC champion's resolve began to crumble.

When Diaz stopped moving forward, it became target practice for Paquiao, who landed at will against his much slower rival, zapping in a variety of shots and scoring with crushing uppercuts, hooks and crosses.

As the rounds wore on, numerous cuts developed on the face of Diaz including a nasty laceration over the right eye from an unintentional clash of heads. The cause looked lost for the champion as early as the fourth round but Diaz simply would not quit. More...