Filipino boxing superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao snapped a two-fight losing streak – and lifted the spirits of his countrymen – in a brilliant performance against Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios in their welterweight showdown at the Cotai Arena in Macau on Sunday.
Pacquiao was in control from start to finish, constantly keeping Rios off-balanced with his movement and footwork, while finding a target for his right straight and left hook early and often. He repeatedly landed multi-punch combinations, although Rios proved his toughness by lasting the distance despite taking stunning punishment.
The Filipino went on to win by unanimous decision, with scores of 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110, adding the World Boxing Organization (WBO) international welterweight belt to his collection.
“I did not consider Rios as an easy opponent,” said Pacquiao after the bout. “He’s tough, he’s a very tough boxer. But he’s a little slower. I’m faster than him.”
The tone of the fight was set early and remained the same for all 12 rounds. Rios (31-2-1, 22 KOs) put his gloves high in front of his face in an attempt to block Pacquiao's blows, but the eight-time world champion threw so many punches that quite a few broke through to leave their marks on the American's face.
Showing deft footwork, Pacquiao would jab, turn swiftly to one side, land another punch and turn again.
On several occasions, one straight left would be followed by another, and then, having pierced Rios' defence, Pacquiao would open up with a barrage of four or five punches, to the delight of the more than 13,000 in attendance at the Cotai Arena in the Venetian.
Speed and experience
Pacquiao’s speed and experience spelled the difference as Rios – who made a name for himself as a come-forward fighter who likes to keep pressure on his opponent – could not find his rhythm at all during the fight. Pacquiao repeatedly turned him to the middle of the ring, while slipping and evading Rios’ punches with seeming ease.
Rios’ vaunted punching power rarely came into play as well, as he only landed shots while clinching against Pacquiao. The Filipino champ, meanwhile, showed he had fully recovered from his knockout against Marquez, as well as his controversial decision loss against Timothy Bradley in June 2012.
“Recovering from the knockout and giving a good show, like the young Manny Pacquiao, that’s what I’m trying to show tonight,” said Pacquiao, who improved his boxing record to 55 wins against five losses and two draws.
In contrast, Rios was in constant danger during the fight, yet smiled nearly every time he absorbed a combination from Pacquiao and egged the Filipino on. Despite his toughness, Rios’ eyes and cheeks were swollen after the fight, and he had begun to bleed from a cut on his left eye as early as the sixth round.
“I got beaten by one of the best fighters in the world,” a gracious Rios said after the fight. “He came with a game plan and he executed it. He’s very fast, and he throws punches from different a lot of different angles. He’s hard to fight against.”
Lessons from Marquez
When asked about not winning by knockout, Pacquiao said he had learned his lesson from his loss to Marquez last year.
“I’m very careful. I learned in the last fight, you know. If the knockout comes, it will come. But I’m very careful in throwing punches and counter-punches. That’s what I did in this fight,” he said.
Statistics showed after the fight that Pacquiao landed 36% of his punches (281 of 790). Rios landed 27% (138 of 502).
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who got into an altercation with members of Rios’ training team in the days leading up to the fight, was ecstatic with his prized ward’s performance.
“All I can say is, many Manny punches. He fought the perfect fight,” said Roach, noting that Pacquiao let Rios "off the hook.” “I wanted him to knock him out, but I was very happy with his performance.”
Rios’ trainer, Robert Garcia, had questioned whether Pacquiao could still fight at an elite level going into the bout and believed that his fighter’s youth can spell the difference against the Filipino. He was singing a different tune once the final bell rang, however.
“Pacquiao still has it,” Garcia said. “He has quickness and great speed. He’ll be around for a long time.”
Pacquiao dedicates win to Yolanda victims
Pacquiao, who was guaranteed $18 million in the fight, was inspired by the plight of his countrymen, who are still reeling from the devastation of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan). He dedicated his victory to the typhoon victims and vowed to return home soon to help.
“It’s really important to me to bring this honor to my country, especially to the people affected by the typhoon,” said Pacquiao. “I’m pretty sure that they’re so happy right now because I won the fight.”
“To all the people and the families affected by the typhoon, I will see you there. I love you so much,” he said.
"This isn't about my comeback. My victory is a symbol of my people's comeback from a natural disaster, a national tragedy," he stressed.
The victory – and Pacquiao’s impressive, clinical performance – may help revive talks of a potential mega-bout against unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr., while also keeping alive hopes of rematches against Marquez and American Timothy Bradley Jr, who controversially out-pointed Pacquiao in June 2012.
The Filipino, however, refused to take the bait when asked about his next fight.
“I don’t have an idea,” he told HBO’s Larry Merchant. “It depends on my promoter, (Top Rank chief executive) Bob Arum.”
What’s for sure is that for all the hype that surrounded the bout in Macau – it was billed as the biggest fight in Asia since “The Thrilla in Manila” – Pacquiao still wants to once again fight in the United States.
“That’s what I want,” he said. “I miss fighting in Las Vegas.”
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
