Manny Pacquiao won his first fight in two years with a dazzling display against Brandon Rios. The Filipino was a unanimous points winner against the former lightweight world champion and never looked troubled throughout the 12 rounds. The judges scored this 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110, reflecting Pac-Man’s dominance.
After Pacquiao suffered consecutive defeats in his previous two outings, questions lingered as to whether or not he had the same fire within him. But after promising to inspire his country—which has suffered in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan—the eight-division champion was always going to be pumped up for this one.
Here’s what we learnt about both fighters:
Pacquiao Was Magical, But Sterner Tests Are to Come
“My time is not over yet,” proclaimed the Filipino in the aftermath.
He looked imperious against Rios, totally outclassing his opponent from the opening bell.
His combinations were sharp, his movement was outstanding, and those trademark, relentless bursts were prominent throughout. He landed punches from all angles with unnerving accuracy and ferocity. Rios took a heavy beating and did well to see the final bell.
Looking forward, Pacquiao must take this sparkling form into fights against tougher opponents. For all his noticeable heart, Rios isn’t in the same league as Pacquiao.
Naturally, the majority of the boxing world would love to see him in a potential megafight against Floyd Mayweather. It’s the fight the world wants to see, and Bob Arum thinks it’s still on the cards:
But after losing to Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley in his two bouts prior to Rios, Pac-Man may need another victory against a high calibre opponent in order to make the Mayweather bout happen. With that in mind, a rematch with Bradley looks likely to be the next step for Pacquiao.
Rios Earns Respect But Has Much Work to Do
For some, Rios was a fighter picked to make the Filipino look good.
The 27-year-old Texan is a solid fighter but limited. He puts his opponents under decent pressure and has a dogged, determined mindset. But against a fighter in the class of Pacquiao, an opponent needs a whole lot more in his armoury.
And after Rios was beaten from pillar to post by the Filipino, it was clear he was nowhere near the level required to trouble Pac-Man. Not yet anyway. Yes, we should applaud his staying power, and he will have earned a great deal of from the performance he showcased.
But after proclaiming in the build-up that he was going to retire the Filipino, he was made to look a little silly here. He showed naivety in his static forward advances, making himself easy for the slick Pacquiao to pick off. In the end, Rios suffered cuts to both eyes, and his face was awash with crimson come the final bell.
He’ll learn from this, though. Now Rios needs to go away, work hard and re-establish his reputation. At this juncture, opponents like Devon Alexander, Amir Khan and Kel Brook—whilst not at the same level as Pacquiao or Mayweather—would make good tests for "Bam Bam."
Despite the loss, the fight gave crucial exposure to Rios, who admittedly wasn’t a household name prior to his scrap with Pacquiao. Just stepping into the ring with the legend could help Rios push his career forward.
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