ALA: Pacquiao not at his best

CEBU, Philippines - Boxing's pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao hammered out a lopsided unanimous decision victory over 'Sugar' Shane Mosley to retain his WBO welterweight title yesteday in Las Vegas but not all his diehard followers were satisfied with his performance.

Although he pointed out Mosley's refusal to trade punches with the Filipino ring superstar as the chief reason of the fight passing through the full 12-round route, ALA Promotions big boss Antonio "Bidoy" L. Aldeguer said Pacquiao was 'sluggish' and fought too cautiously against the seemingly washed-up American.

"Mosley was scared-tiff. He fought to last the distance and not to win. His vested weapon was his right (hand) but he used it more to defend himself rather that throw a punch with it," said Aldeguer. "Manny was not at his best. He fought too cautiously. He should have fought the way he did in the last round. I think Manny overtrained. I found him sluggish. I really expected a good fight but it turned out to be a disappointment."

Chief trainer Edito Villamor and some of ALA Boxing Gym's top guns echoed the same sentiment, giving the match a sub-par rating although they heaped praise on eight-division world champion for trying his best to pump up life and excitement to a rather boring showdown.

"Manny was impressive but the fight was not. Mosley did not come to fight. Maybe the only thing in his mind was how to survive," said Villamor in an interview at Radisson Blu Hotel.

"Pacquiao was so quick and it was very clear that Mosley was scared of him. If I were Pacquiao, I would not be satisfied with my showing. Mosley kept on running around, making the bout boring. But we must give credit to Pacquiao for trying hard to make the fight more exciting," said welterweight prospect Mark Jason Melligen.

Indeed, Mosley was all to blame that the blockbuster duel did not live up to the expectations of some fans.

"Mosley wasn't much of a challenge. Maybe he's just afraid of Pacquiao's speed and power," said WBO Asia-Pacific bantamweight champion AJ "Bazooka" Banal. "I expect that Pacquiao would score a knockout, but Mosley refused to exchange blows that's why it went through 12 rounds."

PABA flyweight titlist Rocky Fuentes and WBC Youth Intercontinental crown-holder Milan "El Metodico" Melindo joined the list of elite ALA warriors who frowned at the way the bout went on.

"It wasn't impressive. Pacquiao gave his all-out best but I think he was not 100 percent," said Fuentes. "I wasn't contented but Pacquiao had a good showing. He still has that trademark speed and quickness," said Melindo.

Still, Pacquiao's resounding triumph brought joy to the hearts of some of his fanatics. "Manny's stamina and endurance were admirable. He did not wear out and even appeared stronger in the 12th round," said WBO minimumweight champion Donnie "Ahas" Nietes.

"Pacquiao is really an excellent boxer. His power is still there. I'm happy and proud he won in convincing fashion," said WBO Asia-Pacific Youth super featherweight titlist Jason Pagara.

And for those who were displeased that highly-anticipated brawl turned into a one-sided affair that left some spectators yawning at their seats, CITOM chairman Sylvan "Jack" Jakosalem, an avid fan of the sweet-science, shared a bid of his insight.

"I know many were disappointed with the fight but you have to remember that both Mosley and Pacman are two of the most experienced boxers now and they both know that there's no room for error when they're fighting each other. They could not be too aggressive against each other because both have great speed and power," said Jakosalem.

"Pacquiao realized this when he saw Mosley knocked Margarito out in nine rounds while it took him all 12 rounds to get a UD. And Mosley saw it when Pacquiao stopped Cotto in the 12th round while he lost to Cotto before," added the former city councilor. "At least we are now convinced that Pacquiao is better than Mayweather. Even if they haven't fought each other, both have just fought Mosley and Mayweather didn't dominate Mosley even close to the way Pacquiao did."

NOTES: ALA Boxing Gym's marquee fighters in the likes of Donnie Nietes, Rey Bautista, AJ Banal, Mark Jason Melligen, Milan Melindo, Rocky Fuentes, Jason Pagara, Rolly Gasca, and Michael Domingo were given a grand entrance with matching party-poppers and roundgirls as they graced the state-of-the-art PPV showing at Raddison Blu Hotel.....So excited to watch the match that some spectators forgot to stand up while Charice sang the Philippine national anthem during the pre-fight introduction. "He must be suspended," was Melligen's reaction after referee Kenny Bayless called it a knockdown when Pacquiao went down the canvass after being pushed by Mosley. – THE FREEMAN