Nearly a year after the knockout that sent twitter into a frenzy, Manny Pacquiao was back in the ring trying to regain his respect and place in boxing. On the other side of the world in Macau, China, Pacquiao took on Brandon Rios where he defeated him in a flawless victory.
From the very beginning Pacquiao kept his movements quick and swift. Moving around the ring Pacquiao dodged Rios’ attempts while landing combinations of his own. Rios tried to keep the match close but Pacquiao was smart and knew he wouldn’t win that way so he kept being evasive. Surprisingly Pacquiao was able to keep it up and didn’t tire out like many predicted. Though his punches don’t pack as much power as they used to, his defense and agility was up to par.
Pacquiao won by unanimous decision from the judges. “This is not about my comeback,” Pacquiao, a congressman from the typhoon-ravaged Philippines, said. “My victory is a symbol of my people’s comeback from a natural disaster and a natural tragedy.”
Of course Pacman’s win has already restarted the rumblings of the long awaited Mayweather-Pacquiao bout but it still probably won’t happen. There’s tons of issues behind the scenes that are preventing the highly anticipated fight and I doubt they’ll be fixed. And though Pacquiao looked good last night, remember Mayweather is fast as well, in fact faster and his punches pack more power. This is a fight that should have happened a long time ago, at this point I don’t think everyone would get the show they’re hoping for.
