Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez knocked Manny Pacquiao out cold with a vicious right hand at the end of the sixth round in Las Vegas yesterday, putting a sudden end to the fourth fight between the two boxers.

Pacquiao had been down in the third round but knocked Marquez down in the fifth and the two were exchanging heavy blows in the sixth round before Marquez threw a right hand that flattened Pacquiao face down on the canvas at 2:59 of the sixth round. The referee waved the fight to an end as Marquez celebrated and the sold-out crowd at the MGM erupted. Pacquiao was down for about two minutes before the Filipino’s handlers managed to get him up.

After being helped to his corner, Pacquiao sat on a stool, blew his nose and stared vacantly ahead as his handlers cut his gloves off. It was a stunning end to a furious fight and it may have signalled the end of Pacquiao’s career.

“I threw a perfect punch,” Marquez said. “I knew Manny could knock me out at any time.”

Marquez had vowed to finally beat Pacquiao after losing two close fights and settling for a draw in the first fight.

But after Pacquiao knocked him down in the fifth round and was landing big left hands, it looked like it would be the Filipino congressman’s night.

The two came out for the sixth round and the pace was just as relentless. Both were landing big punches and both were brawling when suddenly, just before the bell, Marquez caught Pacquiao moving in, landing a right flush to the jaw of Pacquiao, who crumpled to the canvas.

“I felt he was coming to knock me out the last three rounds and I knew he was going to be wide open,” Marquez said.

It was the second loss in a row for Pacquiao, who dropped a contentious decision to Timothy Bradley in June.

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