Pacman goes for the kill every round

MACAU – Manny Pacquiao said his old killer instinct was back on display for 12 rounds Sunday at the packed Cotai Arena of the Venetian Hotel here.

The day after the fight, inside the master bedroom of his lofty and elegant suite at the Venetian Hotel, Pacquiao said he kept going for the kill against Chris Algieri.

“Every round I looked for the knockout,” Pacquiao told reporters.

“My killer instinct was there,” he added.

The four-bedroom suite was quiet, nearly empty as Pacquiao prepared for a 1 p.m. flight to Manila where he will be joined by over 300 of his guests on two chartered AirAsia jumbo jets.

As Pacquiao spoke to reporters, in a white shirt, blue jeans and red Louis Vuitton loafers, his wife, Jinkee, enjoyed her lunch of steak, fish and rice served by the bed. .

Pacquiao chose to stand as he walked reporters back to the fight which ended in 12 rounds and six knockdowns by the taller and previously undefeated American.

“Hindi lang talaga nakipag-engage eh (He just refused to engage). Minsan gusto ko na pasukin pero ayaw talaga (At times I wanted to get to him but he didn’t let me),” said Pacquiao.

He added that right in the first round, he felt he hurt Algieri, and in the second round, he caught him with a punch that led to the first of six knockdowns.

Many felt that the first knockdown should have been ruled as a slip.

“Tinamaan muna (He got hit first),” he said.

Algieri, who vowed to win every round against Pacquiao, went down twice in the sixth and ninth and once more in the 10th round.

Algieri found no answer to Pacquiao’s punches coming in from all angles. Even as Pacquiao faked a punch, Algieri docked and sought cover.

In the ninth round, Algieri tried to spin away from Pacquiao but still got caught by a left straight and went down. Pacquiao said it was the same punch that floored one his sparring partners twice during camp.

But Algieri lasted the distance against one of boxing’s hardest hitters.

“Umabot nga ng 12 rounds anim na bagsak naman (Yes, he lasted 12 rounds but there were six knockdowns),” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao admitted that he pitied Algieri.

“I pitied him because I knew he was trying and giving his best. Pero inexperienced pa talaga. Naawa ako sa kanya kasi alam mo he did his best,” Pacquiao added.

“Aamba pa lang ako nag-cover na siya. If you’re an experienced fighter, you go for the counter. Kulang pa sa experience pero naisabak agad (he lacks experience for this kind of a fight),” said Pacquiao.

Still, he had some good words for Algieri.

“Matatag din (He’s tough),” said Pacquiao, recalling Algieri getting up from two knockdowns in the first round before beating Ruslan Prrovodnikov on points last June.

“Tumatayo (He gets up),” said Pacquiao with just a little nick under his left eye.