Pacquiao toys with foe

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao turned what was expected to be a dangerous bout into a glorified sparring session, overwhelming Ghana's Joshua Clottey with his blinding speed to cruise to a unanimous decision win in their welterweight title fight at the famed Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

About 51,OOO fans trooped to the $2-billion stadium to witness Pacquiao pepper Clottey with his usual flurries and power blows.

For the first three rounds, the Ghanaian hid behind a tortoise-like defense and refused to engage Pacquiao, who in turn showcased his volume punching and excellent footwork.

Clottey, who entered the bout as a 5-to-1 underdog, started opening up in the middle rounds but was still outgunned by Pacquiao. By the ninth round, the challenger's corner already threatened to stop the bout if Clottey still refused to throw punches.

The three judges had Pacquiao winning by a landslide, 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109. philstar.com scored the bout a shutout for the Filipino, 120-108.

"After the first round, I knew I already controlled the fight. But I did not want to be confident. He [Clottey] was tough. He took a lot of punches but did not seem to appear hurt," Pacquiao said in a post-fight interview.

Clottey, for his part, admitted having trouble with Pacquiao's speed but downplayed the champion's power.

"Manny's too fast, but his punches didn't hurt," he said.

With the win, Pacquiao successfully defended his WBO welterweight title, which he clinched from Miguel Cotto last November.

The General Santos City-based southpaw said he's now looking forward to his congressional bid in Sarangani province.

Asked about the possibility of facing the winner of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley tussle in May, Pacquiao said he's willing to take on anyone.