Pacquiao Decisions Larios In Manila

Pac Man retains title via unanimous one-sided decision

Philippine boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao had an easy time of it Sunday in Manila’s Araneta Coliseum against Oscar Larios to retain his WBC super bantamweight title with a unanimous 12-round decision.

Fighting on his home turf, Pacquiao twice dropped Larios with a series of combinations.

“I would like to thank Filipinos who watch me fight,” said the champ. This is for them.

Pac Man’s trainer Freddy Roach said he believed the fighters were evenly matched, admitting that Larios had him worried in the early rounds. “I told him (Manny) to stay off the ropes and fight in the middle,” Roach said. But he needn’t have worried. The judges scored the bout 117-110, 118-108 and 120-106, all in favor of Pacquiao.

“This is what I am preparing for,” Pacquiao said.

With Larios out of the way, Pacquiao (42-3-2) will fight a rubber match Erik “El Terrible” Morales to determine who gets the pleasure of facing WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera. Pac beat MAB two years ago in a non-title match.

Pacquiao’s victory, while not unexpected, was felt all across the Philippines. President Gloria Marapagal Arroya declared that all their countrymen should celebrate “the feat of our boxing hero. Once more, Manny epitomized the fighting spirit of the Filipino the discipline, hard work and determination that we all need to fulfill our dreams for our country.”