Philippines celebrates as Pacquiao wins seventh title

MANILA (Reuters) - Filipinos erupted in wild cheers and thunderous applause in cinemas, bars, restaurants and crowded neighbourhoods across the country on Sunday after Manny Pacquiao beat Miguel Cotto to win his seventh world title.

Pacquiao, nicknamed "Pacman", snatched the World Boxing Organisation welterweight crown from the Puerto Rican after the referee stopped the title fight in Las Vegas in the 12th and final round.

The victory enhanced Pacquiao's reputation as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and earned him a seventh title in an unprecedented seventh weight class.

On the other side of the world, millions of Filipinos watched the fight live on satellite television, in cinemas and on giant screens in poor neighbourhoods where Pacquiao is revered.

"He's the greatest fighter in boxing history," engineer Hermogenes Gutierrez, who watched the bout at a restaurant with his family, told Reuters. "He has made all Filipinos proud. He's our national hero."

People inside Manila's cinemas stood, jumped and burst into thunderous applause after the referee stopped the fight as Pacquiao rained punches on the bloodied Cotto.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Singapore, sent her congratulations to Pacquiao, saying his "unprecedented victory" would serve as an inspiration to Filipino youth.

"I hope we can all learn from his example so that, together, we can also move forward as a nation," Arroyo said in a statement read by her spokesman, Cerge Remonde.

STANDSTILL