It wasn’t vintage Manny Pacquiao at the Cotai Arena in The Venetian in Macao, China on Saturday night, but it was a very dominant Pacquiao as the Filipino superstar smashed American Brandon Rios. Pacquiao earned 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 in the judges scorecards, making him the new WBO international welterweight champion.
MMA Fighting scored the bout 119-110 for Pacquiao.
The bout wasn’t much of a surprise as Pacquiao used his superior skills to defeat the more limited Rios. Pacquiao relied on angles, distance, combinations and head speed. According to Yahoo Sports, Pacquiao landed 223 of 468 punches to Rios’ 113 of 263 punches.
More Coverage: Pacquaio vs. Rios Results | Pacquiao vs. Rios Fight Highlights
Pacquiao vs. Rios Live Round-by-Round Updates
Rios relentlessly tried to put Pacquiao’s back on the ropes or in the corner, but was almost entirely unsuccessful. Pacquiao was able to defend himself long enough to cut angles and bring the fight back to the center of the ring. Rios was never knocked down, but was tagged with huge, damaging punches over and over.
Nothing is confirmed or even proposed, but Pacquiao told commentator Larry Merchant he wanted to return to Las Vegas, Nevada to fight. A rematch with Timothy Bradley, who he lost to in very controversial fashion in the state in 2012, is a possibility moving forward.