Manny Pacquiao keen to fight on after commanding win over Brandon Rios

Manny Pacquiao is back. And it looks as if he might still be around for a while after he delivered a commanding performance that will have helped lift the spirits of his struggling nation.

On one of the biggest days of his career on Sunday and in front of a galaxy of stars at Macau’s Cotai Arena that included soccer star David Beckham and heiress Paris Hilton, the 34-year-old Philippines icon handed Mexican-American Brandon Rios an unforgettable boxing lesson as he lifted the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) international welterweight title.

It was a welcome win for the Philippines still suffering the effects of Typhoon Haiyan.

A sell-out crowd of 13,200 witnessed a spectacular day of boxing as The Clash of Cotai tournament lived up to its hype. Pacquiao, coming off two successive defeats, outboxed, outmatched and outpunched the 27-year-old Rios.

The biggest surprise of the 12-round bout, that ended with Pacquiao winning by unanimous decision, was that “Bam Bam” Rios was still standing at the end of the fight after receiving so much punishment.

Pacquiao’s quickness with his deft hands and his famous footwork shone through once again. Rios tried to land that one big knockout punch time again. He hit Pacman with solid body shots, but Pacman was too quick and smart for the American in the end.

“As I said, this fight was for all the people, and the families that were affected by the typhoon. I’m very happy that God answered my prayer,” said Pacquiao, who raised his record to 55-5-2, 38 KOs.