Manny Pacquiao defeats Brandon Rios in Macau (Photo still)
By Chris Robinson
Moments ago, inside of the Venetian Resort’s Coati Arena in Macau, China, former eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao returned with a commanding victory over a game Brandon Rios.
The early rounds saw Pacquiao come out of the gates blazing with sharp punches from all angles. Rios seemed out of his element in the first round and ate his share of leather.
In rounds two and three, Rios had moments of success where he would tag Pacquiao with clubbing shots, but not enough to where he appeared to with either frame.
Pacquiao began to turn up the heat in the following rounds and looked to have a big lead through six rounds.
HBO analyst Max Kellerman noted that Pacquiao was dominating Rios in the eighth round, as the Kansas native did appear to be running out of steam a bit.
Through eight rounds, Pacquiao had landed 186 blows, 157 shots to the head and 29 to the body, compared to 101 total punches from Rios, who had 52 to the head and 49 to the body.
“You have to stay in closer and throw more punches,” trainer Robert Garcia would exclaim to Rios following the ninth round, another stanza that saw Rios eat his share of clean blows.
Rios began to have some success in the 11th but he wasn’t able to create enough momentum to turn the tide of the fight.
The 12th saw the tempo of the fight slow considerably, as Pacquiao appeared to ease off of the gas pedal.
Scorecards reading 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110 were all read in Pacquiao’s favor, as he makes a successful return to the stage.
“He gave a good fight,” Pacquiao said of Rios. “I tried to finish him but he was tough.”
“My time is not over yet,” Pacquiao would add.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com