He's back: Pacquiao batters Rios to win lopsided decision
(UPDATED) Manny Pacquiao turned back the hands of time with a virtuoso performance against Brandon Rios. Pacquiao dominated Rios from bell to bell en route to an easy unanimous decision victory. His comeback, Pacquiao hopes, will signify the comeback of his people, specifically those devastated by the recent typhoon.
“He’s not an easy opponent. He’s a good fighter, he’s a strong fighter,” Pacquiao said about his opponent to the wild cheers inside the Cotai Arena in Macau. “I considered this fight as one of the most difficult in my career.”
The judges thought it was easy for Pacquiao as they scored the fight 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110. Judges Lisa Giampa and Manfred Kuchler both gave Rios the eighth round, with the latter also giving him the third round.
“This is not about my comeback,” he said during the post-fight interview. “This is about my people’s comeback from a natural disaster and a natural tragedy.”
“I’m so happy,” Pacquiao shared. “Because my time is not over.”
SEE: SLIDESHOW OF THE FIGHT
The first telling blow Pacquiao landed was a lightning quick lead left. Pacquiao’s glove landed flush on Rios’ face and when he was ready to retaliate, Pacquiao was already long gone.
The moment dictated the entire tempo of the fight. Pacquiao flustered Rios with lead lefts and fast combinations while Rios could not do anything but shake his head and smile, trying to tell Pacquiao he was not hurt.
“I never got hurt, I never got stung,” Rios said at the post-fight press conference. “But he was quick. I did train for quickness but he was much quicker than my sparring partners.”
Rios admitted that as early as the third round, he already knew Pacquiao would be too fast for him. In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Philippines, Rios admitted being frustrated. “I just wanted to land one big punch. I know that can change the fight,” he said. “But he was just too fast, man. He’s fast and awkward. He was coming from all angles.”
With the win, Pacquiao is now the WBO international welterweight champion. He raised his record to 55 wins against five losses and two draws with 38 knockouts. Rios on the other hand suffered his second straight defeat against 31 wins.
Pacquiao thoroughly outpunched the taller Rios, landing 281 out of 790 punches (36%) compared to 138 out of 502 for Rios (27%).
“Manny was fast,” said Rios' trainer Robert Garcia. “We thought he was going to stand and exchange with us but he didn’t. Manny fought a good fight. But I’m proud of Brandon. He tried all he could.”
As the fight wore on, the story stayed the same. Pacquiao used his superior speed to score on Rios while the American tried to rough things up and goad the Filipino to brawl with him. Pacquiao, however, stuck to his game plan. He refused to get careless perhaps still thinking about his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.
“Manny Pacquiao is back,” announced Roach during the press conference after the fight. “But I really didn’t think he went anywhere.”
