Pacquiao’s opponent to undergo surgery for face fracture

Manny Pacquiao fractured Margarito’s face in the fourth round swelling his right eye and badly bruising it that he is to undergo surgery today.

Pacquiao pounded on Margarito so severely that at one point in the 11th round he looked to referee Laurence Cole and asked him to stop the fight. After the fight, Pacquiao said he carried Margarito in the final round because he did not want to inflict anymore damage to him.

In addition to the fracture, Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs), fighting in the United States for the first time since the hand-wrapping scandal that erupted before his fight with Shane Mosley in January 2009, also needed six stitches in his right cheek and three more in his right eyebrow, according to Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels.

Pacquiao was not without injurires though. He is nursing bruises, sore ribs and a sore wrist — understandable after hitting Margarito almost 500 times.