IT was fast paced, savage and brutal. The kind of fight Filipino Manny Pacquiao thrives in.
Behind a fine display of hand speed and punching power, the 27-year- old Pacquiao battered Oscar Larios for 12 rounds, earning a unanimous decision and giving the crowd of about 12,000 inside the rocking Araneta Coliseum something to cheer about on a bright Sunday.
A tentative start had the ?Pacman? on the edge against his lanky, tough Mexican foe, a bind that grew by the third round when a solid left hook sent the General Santos City native on the ropes, close to going down.
But the Filipino southpaw weathered the tempest and proceeded to create his own storm by punishing Larios with crunching body shots and powerful combinations the rest of the fight.
He had the 29-year old Guadalajara native down on the canvas twice and sporting a big, nasty cut at his left eye by the time the action-packed match was over at mid-noon.
The three judges scored it 118-108 (Daniele van de Wiele), 117-110 (Humbert Forgoni) and 120-106 (Norapat Sricharoen), all for Pacquiao, who retained his World Boxing Council (WBC) International super-featherweight title.
PJ scored it 118-108, also for the Filipino ring idol, with Larios only winning two rounds.
?Ang plano talaga ay tapusin agad `yung laban, pero I took my time. Hindi ko minadali. I just made it a point na laging kuha ko ang puntos kada round. Alam ko kaya kong dalhin ang laban,? said Pacquiao, showing up in the post fight interview nearly unmarked.
The two-time Filipino world champion raised his record to 42 wins, three losses, two draws and 33 knockouts. He?s now setting his sight to another blockbuster fight with Mexican warrior Eric Morales in November.
The loss was the fifth in 62 fights for Larios, who nonetheless earned one admirer in American trainer Freddie Roach.
Roach, who vowed to finish the fight in six rounds, complimented the Mexican whom he referred to as ?a very strong fighter.? But he said it was actually more of Pacquiao not being in his best shape that allowed Larios to go by the full distance.
?Manny didn?t really turn it around until the sixth round. He appeared to be coasting,? said the bespectacled Hall-of-Fame trainer.
Pacquiao, indeed, looked like the same fighter in whose hands fell the likes of Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera and Lehlohonolo Ledwaba, during the later rounds, repeatedly staggering Larios with several right hooks and his trademark left straight.
He dropped the Mexican challenger with a big right hook in the seventh round, sending the Big Dome crowd in a frenzy. Larios was again down on his pants near the end of the final round as a left straight found its way to the chin of the challenger.
?We?re well prepared for the fight and I knew I was going to win,? said Larios later. ?But Manny is a great fighter. He beat me primarily with his speed.?
Rising star Czar Amonsot actually started the Filipino assault over their Mexican counterparts when he scored a unanimous decision win over Silverio Ortiz in their 136 lbs. fight.
Former World Boxing Council (WBC) super-flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa followed suit with a similar one-side victory over Tomas Rojas at 118 before Jimrex Jaca bucked a cut over his left eye to hack out a technical decision win over rugged Hector Marquez at 131 lbs.
SIDELIGHTS: The ringside crowd was a mixture of celebrities, politicians and sports personalities, among them were PLDT honcho Manny Pangilinan, police chief Vidal Querol, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, karter Matteo Guddeceli, former PBA players Bonel Balingit and Zaldy Realubit, movie stars Aga Muhlach, wife Charlene Gonzales, Claudine and Raymart Santiago, Rudy Fernandez, and former Miss World runner up Ruffa Gutierrez?. Also at ringside was former WBC flyweight champion Frank Cedeno. Now based in Los Angeles, the 48-year old Cedeno flew in to town to bring his 20-year old daughter with him back to the U.S. He shocked the boxing world in 1983 when he knocked English Charlie Magre in the sixth round of their title fight at Wembley Stadium in England to become a world champion. He lost the crown, however, to Koji Kabayashi in Japan during his first title defense. Cedeno retired from boxing at age 31 and chose to migrate in the US?.Penalosa said he?s giving himself a year to win another world title. He?s set to challenge champion Martin Castillo this November in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Morales fight?.Diva Bituin Escalante rendered the Philippine national anthem while gun enthusiast and former Purefoods supporter Cris Aquino carried the RP flag at ringside?.Larios entered the ring wearing a black Mexican sweatshirt while Pacquiao had his traditional Pacman robe with the color trimmings of the RP flag?.The theme from the movie ?Rocky? was used for most of the fight introductions?Popular ring announcer Michael Buffer brought the house down when he greeted the crowd ?Mabuhay Pilipinas.?
