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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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MANILA – The anticipated knockout finish never came but the clinical display against an upstart foe was more than enough for Manny Pacquiao to become a world boxing champion again.
Pacquiao banked on an early knockdown to reclaim the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt with a unanimous-decision verdict over American Jessie Vargas on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
It was the third time that the Filipino ring icon captured the WBO’s 147-pound belt after first winning it against Miguel Cotto in 2009 and against Timothy Bradley Jr. in 2014.
Save from the questionable 114-113 score of judge Dave Moretti, the 118-109 scores of judges Glenn Trowbridge and Glenn Feldman pictured the dominance of Pacquiao over the less experienced Vargas.
From a tentative first round by both fighters, Pacquiao initiated the action early in the second round with his lightning quick hits before flooring Vargas with a left straight to the jaw.
Seeing that Vargas was a little groggy, Pacquiao almost went for the kill in the third round but the American boxer just did enough to hang on before slowly engaging the Filipino fighter in the fourth round.
Vargas finally made his presence felt in the next two rounds as he took advantage of slight loopholes in Pacquiao’s defense to unleash his attacks. Late in the sixth round, Vargas landed a cracking right hand that solidly hit Pacquiao.
From a nearly action-less seventh round, Pacquiao and Vargas traded powerful hits in the eighth round as the American connected with a right straight before Pacquiao retaliated with a overhand right to inflict a cut over Vargas’ right eye.
Pacquiao went aggressive anew in the ninth and 10th rounds as he took advantage of Vargas’ limited vision with his quick punches. Blood oozed from Vargas’ cut late in the period after a right hand by Pacquiao.
Pacquiao kept his aggressiveness in the last two rounds with his left and right combinations but Vargas managed to evade the punches.
Pacquiao, who became the first-ever senator-elect to win a world boxing championship, admitted after the bout that he aimed to finish off Vargas but became cautious considering his opponent’s counterpunching ability.
“I feel happy because I’m trying every round to knock him down. I’m trying. That’s why I am always aggressive but not careless,” said Pacquiao. “I’m very careful to go inside, because I know he will counter me.”
“I felt like I can do more. But my aim in every round was to knock him out,” added Pacquiao, who was accompanied by Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach and Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa in the ring.
Vargas, for his part, admitted he was amazed by the speed of Pacquiao, who is turning 38 years old next year, but said he was never hurt by the latter’s punches.
“I think it was a very close fight. It was a chess match, back and forth. We were on our toes trying to catch each other,” Vargas said. “His speed surprised me at the beginning. But he never hurt me.”
This was Pacquiao’s first boxing match since announcing his retirement after defeating Timothy Bradley for the third time in April at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
With the victory, Pacquiao improved his boxing record to a 59-6-2 win-loss-draw, including 38 stoppage wins, while Vargas’ slate slid down to 27-2-0, with 10 knockout wins./PN
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