Shock KO to Marquez made Pacman cautious for a kill

LOS ANGELES – After knocking down Jessie Vargas in the second round of their fight in Las Vegas Saturday (Sunday in Manila), Manny Pacquiao said he tried to go in for the kill.

He was looking for the knockout win that has long eluded him.

But the thought of falling into a trap by Vargas made the Filipino icon think twice about going all out at the Thomas & Mack Center.

A day after dominating Vargas, Pacquiao told reporters in his suite at Wynn Hotel that he was extra-careful after flooring the defending champion with a counter left straight in the second canto.

“Naka-tiyempo ako ng isang solid na left straight. Mula nun, nag-abang na siya (I was able to land a solid left straight. From there, he became wary),” the newly minted WBO welterweight champion recalled.

He said Vargas’ shift in style from fighting forward to backpedalling since that knockdown reminded him of his fourth meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez.

“Nag-aabang din siya ng counter, ng kanan niya. Ginagaya niya si (Marquez) so naging maingat tayo (He also looked for a counter (with his right) just like Marquez so I had to be extra careful),” he continued.

It can be recalled that Pacquiao came close to stopping Juan Manuel Marquez in their 2012 fight, but ran into a perfectly timed overhand right that knocked him out cold.

He said he tried not to commit the same mistake against Vargas.

“I’m careful also not to be over-aggressive and careless, because he’s waiting for a counterpunch,” Pacquiao added.

To his credit, Vargas landed some of his signature overhand rights to Pacquiao’s head. But they weren’t enough to change the course of the fight, and Pacquiao marched to a unanimous decision win.