The Venetian is no stranger to big crowds, but it’s not often that you see it packed to the rafters at 8 o’clock on a Sunday morning. Such was the appeal of the Clash in Cotai match-off between Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao and Brendon ‘Bam Bam’ Rios last month, that saw thousands of boxing fans pack not only the Cotai Arena, but every other bar and venue at the Venetian that was screening the event.
And the fans (including the likes of David Beckham and Paris Hilton) were not disappointed, as the two boxers put on a full 12-round show of intense fighting, battling it out for the WBO International Welterweight title.
In the end, it was crowd favourite Manny Pacquiao who won the fight on points by unanimous decision, his speed and southpaw combinations too much for Mexican-American Rios.
Given that nearly every one of the 13,000-strong crowd seemed to be barracking for the Filipino hero, it was probably a good thing he was ultimately victorious. In the lead up to the fight, every time Rios appeared on the massive overhead screens, he was booed and jeered by the crowd, who then gave off deafening cheers for Pacquiao when he appeared, and indeed whenever he landed a punch on the 27-year-old.
Pacquiao looked in command right from the first round, with precision straight left punches and rapid combinations. Rios took everything the Pacman dished out and kept standing right to the end, but never had the upper hand in the bout.
“He never hurt me at all, I never got stunned, but it was just his speed and awkardness that caught me off guard”, conceded Rios after the fight.
The win was significant for Pacquiao, who was stepping back in the ring for the first time in nearly a year, after a contentious split-decision loss to Timothy Bradley and a shocking KO against Juan Manuel Marquez, both in 2012. Many had hinted that it was time for the 34-year-old to hang up his gloves, but the fighter who stepped in the ring on November 24, looked anything but ready to retire.
Despite his convincing victory, it was a typically humble and courteous Manny Pacquaio who spoke to the press after the fight.
“This is not about my comeback. My victory is a symbol of my people’s comeback from natural disaster and natural tragedy”, said the Philippine congressman, repeatedly thanking God for his strength during the fight, and promising to visit victims of Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban city as soon as he returned home.
And he repeated his catch phrase of the past 12 months: “We will rise again”.
In the lead up to the fight, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank had billed it as the biggest fight in Asia since the 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manila’ between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier. After the bout, he noted that the event cost in excess of US$30 million dollars to put on. Pacquiao’s purse for the fight was a guaranteed US$18 million.
Punch Stats
Pacquiao – Thrown 790 – Landed 281
Rios – Thrown 502 – Landed 138
China’s big hitters
Nine undercard bouts featured on the morning of the fight, with some great victories for Chinese boxers.
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Zou Shiming returned to Macau for his third professional fight. He had a convincing win over Mexican Juan Toscano, winning by unanimous decision. He credited his victory in part to the time he spent training with the Pacquiao camp in the Philippines.
Yang Ik from Dalian beat Hero Tito of Indonesia in their Lightweight clash. And Bantamweight Hong Kong boxer Rex Tso took out Susu Sithjadeang from Thailand after a technical knock out was declared in just the first round.
Finally, local boxer Ng Kuok Kun won by unanimous decision over Zeng You-Jie in their Super Welterweight fight. In an interview after the fight, Ng said that he was happy to show that Macau had local boxing talent and could perform at an international level.
Meanwhile, after three successful professional fights, Zou Shiming is very likely to be back in Macau sometime in the first half of next year to challenge for the Flyweight title, details to be confirmed.
