MACAU ? Manny Pacquiao failed to knock out Brandon Rios in their 12-round bout for the vacant WBO International welterweight crown at the Cotai Arena inside the Venetian Resort Hotel here Sunday morning and fans are wondering why because it seemed relatively easy to hit the slow-moving target.
Here are 10 possible reasons why Rios got off the hook.
? Rios tough as nails. BamBam proved he can take a punch. He got banged up by Manny, downstairs and upstairs. In the first round, it looked like Pacquiao scored a knockdown but inept referee Geno Rodriguez ruled it a slip. But even if Rodriguez called a knockdown, Rios would have easily beat the count. He was up in a flash from his ?slip.? Rios established his durability more than ever before.
? Pacquiao losing his touch. The ring icon hasn?t stopped an opponent since Miguel Cotto in 2009. His last five wins were on points. Is Pacquiao unable to bring up his power to impact on bigger fighters? As he gets older, is his power diminishing? Pacquiao hammered away at Rios but couldn?t put him down.
? Pacquiao held back. When he fought Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao could?ve finished off the Mexican but opted to keep him on his feet. He took pity on Margarito who suffered a fractured orbital bone in losing a decision. Freddie Roach said Pacquiao could?ve disposed of Rios in the last two rounds. The decision to go the full route was strictly Pacquiao?s. Rios was battered, bloodied and bruised. Pacquiao did enough to win the decision by a comfortable margin and had no heart to bludgeon Rios into submission.
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? Pacquiao worked on his stamina. With newly-designated conditioning coach Gavin McMillan, Pacquiao did away with a lot of Alex Ariza?s drills. Coming from back-to-back losses, it was critical for Pacquiao to regain his confidence by fighting more rounds instead of less. ?Manny needed the workout,? said Argentinian cutman Miguel Diaz. The implication was Pacquiao carried Rios until the final bell.
? Pacquiao wary of a lucky punch. Last December, Pacquiao sensed that Juan Manuel Marquez was on the way down and pressed his attack even with less than 10 seconds left in the round. As Pacquiao moved in for the kill, he got careless. Marquez tagged him with a right straight smack on his face. Pacquiao collapsed face down and was out cold for a few minutes. The memory of that tragedy is in the back of Pacquiao?s mind. Pacquiao didn?t want the same thing to happen to him against Rios.
? Punishment for Rios. For his bad-mouthing and trash-talking, Pacquiao wanted to administer a clinical beating, punish Rios and torture him. A quick knockout ending would?ve been anticlimactic. Pacquiao deliberately kept Rios on his feet so he could pummel him repeatedly. He saved him for a beating he?ll never forget.
? Rios? stonewall defense. Sometimes fighting like Joshua Clottey defensively, Rios held both arms close with his elbows near the midsection and the gloves held up high to protect the face. Pacquiao tried to break down Rios? defense by probing for an opening and sneaking in punches through the stonewall. Rios sacrificed his offense for defense, avoiding a shameful exit by knockout.
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? Rodriguez threw off Pacquiao?s rhythm. The referee allowed Rios to tie up and roughhouse Pacquiao. There were warnings but never a deduction to dissuade Rios from using dirty tricks. With Rios getting away with bullying tactics, Pacquiao had to improvise and couldn?t get the flow to create the angle for a knockout.
? Ring rust. Pacquiao hadn?t fought in nearly a year or since losing to Marquez in Las Vegas. He displayed excellent footwork and hand-eye-foot coordination. But it?s possible his offensive motor wasn?t tuned up for precision. It was a timely workout for Pacquiao to shake off the rust from a long layoff.
? Pacquiao afraid to inflict permanent damage. With Rios on the receiving end for most of the fight, Pacquiao could?ve intensified the heat and sent BamBam to the hospital. But the point of boxing is not to maim an opponent. Pacquiao wanted to unravel his boxing skills and used his speed to execute.
Some fans were disappointed that Pacquiao didn?t shut Rios up with a devastating knockout. They wanted the Bad Boy to bite the dust and grovel. Other fans were content to witness Pacquiao?s masterful display of boxing skills, speed and movement with no concern for a knockout. The bottom line was Pacquiao beat Rios convincingly on points. It didn?t matter that Rios wasn?t knocked out. Pacquiao got his 12-round workout to regain his form, timing, reflexes and confidence and did it at Rios? expense.
