MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao proved to be too fast and too good for Shane Mosley, pounding the challenger en route to a unanimous decision victory to retain his WBO welterweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas today.
Pacquiao decked Mosley midway in the third round with a lethal left straight to the face. A visibly dazed Mosley beat the mandatory eight-count and went on to survive an uneventful fight, which turned out to be about Pacquiao's aggressiveness against Mosley's unwillingness to engage.
"I got with him a solid straight, but he's strong," Pacquiao said in a post-fight interview.
Pacquiao was the aggressor the entire night, forcing Mosley to back off with his usual spitfire combinations. The Filipino ring icon used feints to further confound Mosley, who appeared hesitant to strike.
Things got interesting in the 10th round when referee Kenny Bayless ruled a knockdown against Pacquiao, who incidentally went down after being pushed by Mosley. Replays showed it was indeed a push and should have been ruled a slip.
"It's the referee's call, and I have to respect that," Pacquiao said.
That incident ended up to be a wake-up call for Pacquiao, who continued to press the action in the last two rounds to seal the victory. Securing the win, however, came with a price.
"I got my legs hurt. I told my assistant trainers to massage them because I couldn't move," Pacquiao said.
The three judges scored the fight lopsidedly for Pacquiao, 119-108, 120-108 and 120-107. Philstar.com had it a near-shutout for the Filipino, 119-108.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum said he is planning a November fight for Pacquiao.
"We're looking at (Juan Manuel) Marquez, Timothy Bradley or Zab Judah. We'll see what happens," the promoter said.
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