Manny Pacquiao won his 57th fight in Macao Sunday, and he made it look easy. Pacquaio dominanted formerly undefeated challenger Chris Algieri from the opening bell, and won a lopsided unanimous decision to retain his WBO welterweight title.
Algieri’s incredible footwork saved him early in the fight, as he was able to dance around the ring and avoid most of Pacquiao’s assault. There was a moment on controversy in the second round, when Algieri slipped on water that had been spilled in Pacquiao’s corner (it was ruled a knockdown), but Algieri’s lost point on the slip proved to be meaningless in the end.
The fight likely should have been over in the ninth round, when Pacquiao knocked down Algieri twice more. Pacquiao caught Algieri with a vicious left jab, and Algieri only got back to his feet after a very long 9-count. Algieri seemed unable to protect himself and Pacquiao pummeled him until the bell, but referee Genaro Rodriguez opted not to stop the fight.
Algieri stuck around, though, and made it through all 12 rounds. Two judges scored the fight 119-103, and the other gave Pacquiao a 120-102 edge.