‘Pacman’ gobbles up Larios

Manny Pacquiao needed 12 rounds, not one or six as some had hoped, to beat Oscar Larios, sending the game Mexican to the canvass twice before roaring fans at the historic Araneta Coliseum and millions more at home yesterday to pull off a unanimous decision in what has been billed as the "Thrilla in Manila II."

The Filipino boxing idol dominated the former two-time world champion in thrilling non-stop action, except for some anxious moments in the third round when he staggered on the ropes after taking a flurry of punches that silenced the crowd.

But Pacquiao summoned all his strength and managed to hold on. By the fifth round, it was clear that he had regained both his composure and the upper hand.

Pacquiao was all over his bloodied opponent for most of the way, scoring clear knockdowns in the seventh and 12th rounds and coming so close to knocking out the stubborn Mexican in the bout that marked 31 years since the classic Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier "Thrilla in Manila."

But Larios was a tough nut to crack. He trained long and hard for this big fight, going eight weeks as compared to Pacquiao’s six.

If not for his superb condition, he wouldn’t have lasted the distance. At the end of the fight, he sported nasty cuts near his left eye — one at the corner and another underneath.

The crowd of close to 15,000 called and screamed for a knockout, but rejoiced just the same after Pacquiao was declared a winner by unanimous decision.

They were ready to take the victory in any form. But what’s truly important was that Pacquiao emerged a big winner in the fight he had dedicated to his countrymen who had looked up to the General Santos native as their modern-day hero.

All three judges — a French, a Belgian and a Thai — had Pacquiao way ahead in their respective scorecards, 117-110, 118-108, and 120-106. There was no doubt about the outcome. Pacquiao was the better one.

In the closing rounds, Pacquiao appeared to be in complete control, tagging Larios with telling combinations that dropped the Mexican to one knee in the seventh and sent the challenger on the seat of his pants with less than a minute in the 12th and final round.

After the final bell, Pacquiao and Larios embraced each other. These were two great warriors who gave the fans, some of whom paid a huge sum just to get in, what they came for — a white knuckle confrontation between talented fighters.

In a few seconds, the ring was full of people, including those who really didn’t have any business being there. Pacquiao faced all corners of the Big

Dome waving the Philippine flag.

Pacquiao spoke briefly on the microphone, but his words were drowned by the din and loud cheers from the jubilant crowd.

"Peace to you all," he was heard as saying. "I knew I could carry the fight so I didn’t hurry. Baka ma-tsambahan pa ako (I might get tagged by a lucky punch)," said Pacquiao, who received $1 million for the fight. Larios took home $450,000.

Pacquiao’s family, including his pregnant wife Jinkee and their two sons Michael and Jimwell, were at ringside. For a moment, the kids were brought up the ring. Pacquiao’s father was there, too.

While the celebration centered on Pacquiao, Larios held his head high. He waved and bowed to the crowd and was loved for doing that. On his way out, he drew a big round of applause.

Larios managed to land his own punches late in the 130-pound contest. But there seemed to be nothing behind them, as Pacquiao simply shrugged them off.

Larios’ agent, Rafael Mendoza, said a few days ago that "Larios may lose, but he will never quit." The former world 112-pound champion proved his agent right.

"Not only that Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter. He’s a great person, too," Larios said during the post-fight press conference. He wore a red training suit, shades and plaster over his cuts.

"Oscar nearly had Pacquiao in the third round. Then he fought the wrong fight. He said he could knock him out and committed mistakes going for it," said Mendoza.