MACAU — Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao comprehensively dismantled American Chris Algieri to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight title at the Cotai Arena here Sunday. Pacquiao dropped Algieri to the canvas six times during the 12-round contest in the southern Chinese city to win an overwhelming unanimous decision, 119-103, 119-103, 120-102 on the judges' cards. Algieri, the unbeaten WBO light welterweight champion, was outclassed from the start, with the eight-division world champion Pacquiao knocking the Long Islander down in the second round, twice in both the sixth and ninth rounds, and finally again in the 10th. Pacquiao was landing punches at will as the quick Algieri tried to run, slip and hide from the onslaught. But the congressman from Sarangani province really turned it when he smashed Algieri to the canvas with a devastating straight left in the sixth. The American only just beat the count and dropped to one knee moments later as blows rained in from all angles. He somehow survived and was knocked down twice more in the ninth and then again in the 10th, with one left sending him sprawling across the ring and head over heels backwards into the corner. “I'm satisfied with the result,” said Pacquiao. “I did my best. I was trying for a knockout but he was fast and keeps moving.” “He's perfected his style,” said Algieri. “He's perfected the art of fighting like Manny Pacquiao. He hurt me once when he buzzed me with a left hook. But that was the only time.” Algieri holds a master's degree and an ambition to become a doctor once his boxing days are over. All week in the build-up, his trainer Tim Lane had been declaring that he would destroy Pacquiao by “master boxing.” They proved hollow words and Pacquiao's Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach mocked them afterward. “The master boxer was given a master class by Professor Pacquiao,” said Roach. Pacquiao's victory will inevitably heighten calls for him to face the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in what could be the first billion-dollar fight in history. “I really want the fight. The fans deserve it,” said Pacquiao afterward, throwing down a challenge by imitating a new TV commercial in which he mocks Mayweather. It brought huge cheers from the sellout 13,202 crowd at the Venetian Macau venue, where the vast majority appeared to be Filipinos. Meanwhile, China's double Olympic gold medal-winning flyweight Zou Shiming dismantled an experienced and durable Thai opponent Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym over 12 rounds to earn a world title shot next year. Kwanpichit was also deducted a point for a series of low blows and lost an overwhelming unanimous decision 119-104, 120-103, 119-104. American Jessie Vargas outpointed his Mexican rival Antonio DeMarco Sunday to retain his World Boxing Association super lightweight title in another bout. The champion from Las Vegas, with legendary fighter Roy Jones Jr making his debut as a trainer in his corner, got the better of his valiant opponent in a fight which exploded into life from the fifth round onward. Both men were heavily marked at the end of a toe-to-toe 12-round battle, in which the unbeaten Vargas (26-0) consistently landed the better shots to take a unanimous decision 116-112 on all three judges' scorecards. In the second world title fight, Ukraine's double Olympic gold medalist Vasyl Lomachenko handed out a boxing lesson to the experienced Thai Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo. All three judges gave it to the Ukrainian by an overwhelming margin of 120-107. Earlier, Hong Kong super flyweight Rex Tso was given a tougher than expected workout over eight rounds against Espinos Sabu of Indonesia but came through on a unanimous points decision. — Agencies
