Manny Pacquiao made his return on top of Mount Olympus of boxing after
outclassing Californian brawler Brandon Rios to score a unanimous
decision win on Saturday at Cotai Gym in Macau, China.
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| Filipino boxer Pacquiao listens to his coach Roach during a news conference at the Venetian Macao hotel in Macau |
Through 12 rounds of professional boxing, Pacquiao dissected his
flatfooted opponent with peerless combination of speed, agility and
power, leaving everybody in the arena in awe of the former
pound-for-pound champ's sheer greatness in the ring.
During the post-fight press conference, Rios admitted that Pacquiao's speed was simply too much for him, though he insisted he never got hurt in the match.
"I never got hurt. I never got stunned. I think the quickness just threw me off guard. I feel good. I could go five more rounds," said Rios, who suffered his second consecutive loss after going unbeaten in 32 fights as a professional boxer.
During the post-fight press conference, Rios admitted that Pacquiao's speed was simply too much for him, though he insisted he never got hurt in the match.
"I never got hurt. I never got stunned. I think the quickness just threw me off guard. I feel good. I could go five more rounds," said Rios, who suffered his second consecutive loss after going unbeaten in 32 fights as a professional boxer.
Lucrative Fights on Horizon
According to reports, Pacman pocketed a guaranteed paycheck of $18
million (tax free) from his latest fight, excluding his share in
pay-per-view revenue, which is expected to be one of the highest ever
due to China's one billion market and flocks of Pacman's followers in the United States.
However, Pacquiao stressed that he's going to fight in Las Vegas next
year with the hope of fighting top-caliber opponents like rival Juan
Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"Anybody who will fight with me, I will fight," Pacquiao told
reporters right after his demolition of Rios. "I'm willing to fight
Floyd, but it's up to him."
Top-Rank promoter Bob Arum said he has set his sight for showdown
between two of the biggest names in boxing: Pacquiao and Mayweather Jr.
The legendary boxing promoter said the mega fight could happen in
2014, if negotiation between both camps finally pushes through. Arum
added the figure at stake could go up to as much as $300 million,
breaking all kinds of records in the process.
"On our side the answer is yes [the fight can be made in 2014], we're very open to it," Arum told ESPN.
"There are ways it can get done, they have to dumb down the rhetoric,
we are prepared to dumb down the rhetoric and get it done.
"There is no real impediment to having that fight happen whether it
will or not depends completely on the Mayweather side. I can see it
happening but I can't predict that it will happen because it takes two
to tango," added Arum, who had several failed negotiations with
Mayweather's camp regarding a potential fight with Pacquiao before.
If this fight happens, Pacquiao could earn as much as $150 million
should Mayweather agree to a 50-50 fight purse split. If not, Pacquiao
could still rake up $130 million and his paycheck could go larger when
PPV revenue takes into account.
For now, Pacquiao vs. Mayweather rumble remains a product of
speculation. There's no clear indication that this fight could really
happen next year given the controversy the embroiled both camps. One
thing is for sure here, Pacquiao's win puts him back in the boxing map.