MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao may have battered Brandon Rios in their welterweight showdown in Macau on Sunday, but the Pacman admitted that “Bam Bam” managed to sneak in a blow that stunned him hard.
Pacquiao set the tone right in the opening round, overwhelming Rios with multi-punch combinations and keeping his foe off-balance with his constant lateral movement.
Although he cruised to a unanimous decision victory, Pacquiao revealed that there was a moment in the fight when Rios caught him.
“May round doon na nasaktan ako ng left hook niya, at talagang biglang maraming star,” Pacquiao said on ANC's "Headstart" on Monday. “Tinamaan ako, tapos biglang may star.”
The blow – Rios’ best of the night – happened in the fifth round, Pacquiao revealed in the post-fight press conference. He shrugged it off, however, and stuck to his game plan.
“Sandali lang,” Pacquiao answered when asked how long he saw stars.
Rios was bleeding from a cut above his eye by the sixth round and his face was well-marked by the end of the fight, but he maintained that he was not fazed by Pacquiao’s power. Indeed, even after Pacquiao clearly snapped his head back with a straight, Rios smiled, stuck out his tongue and egged the Filipino on.
“I was never hurt,” Rios said in the post-fight press conference. “What got me was the awkwardness and speed. I haven’t fought a southpaw in a long time.”
“He got me a couple of times with the straight left,” Rios said, but also claimed that Pacquiao’s best punch was his quickness.
Pacquiao is convinced, however, that he hurt Rios repeatedly, even as he was impressed with the younger fighter’s toughness.
“Bilib ako sa tibay niya, kasi ang dami kong power punch na tumama sa mukha. Alam ko nasaktan siya, pero magaling siya magdala,” Pacquiao said.
“Alam ko nasaktan naman siya, kasi ‘yung kamay ko sumakit, ‘yun pa kayang mukha niya?” he added. “Magaling lang siya magdala. Kahit nasaktan siya, hindi siya nagpapahalata.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
