MACAU?Manny is back, Freddie Roach trumpeted at the post-fight press conference.
I asked Freddie if he was surprised at how easy it was for Manny to dominate Brandon Rios and the avuncular boxing wizard replied that he knew Manny would win the fight easily as long as he would stick to their game-plan.
OBSERVATIONS. During the first few rounds, the difference in speed was immediately apparent.
Manny would land his patented jab-left straight combo with relative ease, and move away before Rios could issue a delivery receipt.
In the third, Rios landed a couple of right hands that shook up Manny. I thought right there that that offensive pump from Rios was the litmus test.
Coming from a brutal knockout in his last fight, the apprehension was how Manny would take that first big punch landed by Rios and yes, he took it well.
From that point on, I breathed a little easier as Manny proceeded to dominate Rios and put on a boxing clinic.
He would land some flurries and then move to his right, away from Rios? power hand. By the time Rios tried to retaliate, Manny was not in front of him anymore, and the former was reduced to pawing at nothing but thin air.
By the middle rounds, Rios was cut and reduced to a clueless statue in the center of the ring as Manny whacked him from all angles.
The only way for him to get in some good licks was to grab Manny and sneak in some right hands while they were in a clinch.
Manny seemed to take a breather in the eighth round, and Brandon landed some clubbing blows, but still those few, fleeting moments of success were not enough to overcome Manny?s activity and accuracy.
In the championship rounds, Manny poured it on, but Rios just would not go down. I?ll give it to Rios, the kid can take a punch.
In the last round, most of us at ringside thought Manny seemed to be carrying Brandon, and during the post-fight press conference, the gallant victor explained that he thinks boxing is not about killing and since he already had the fight won, there was no point in going for the knockout and get careless.
MISMATCH. Rios was exposed for the plodding and ponderous fighter that he was and it was his misfortune to be matched up against a whirling dervish like Pacquiao.
During the post fight press conference, Manny explained that Rios? style was easier than Juan Manuel Marquez?s and that he could afford to be more aggressive.
Manny was also fashionably late (about an hour and a half) and Bob Arum explained that it was due to the fact that he had to pass urine twice for the mandatory drug and blood testing protocols.
The way I see it, Manny had a more difficult time peeing than fighting ?Bam-bam? Rios.
SCORES. The scorecards were emblematic of Manny?s dominance with scores of 120-108 from Michael Pernick (same as mine), 119-109 from Lisa Giampa (who had earlier turned in a head scratching score in the Hero Tito-Ik Yang fight) and 118-110 from Manfred Kuchler.
The only rounds in which they were in disagreement were Rounds 3 and 8 in which Brandon was arguably effective. Good job, judges.
LAST ROUND. It?s on my Latagaw brod, Atty. Filmore Gomos who recently celebrated his birthday. Cheers!
