Pacquiao sets up Morales date with win

Philippine boxing hero Manny 'The Pacman' Pacquiao toyed with Mexican Oscar Larios to retain his World Boxing Council super bantamweight title with a unanimous decision over 12 rounds on Sunday.

Fighting on home ground at Manila's Araneta Coliseum, Pacquiao knocked down Larios twice with a series of combinations, swelling his left eye nearly shut in a dominant display of power boxing.

'I would like to thank Filipinos who watch me fight. This is for them,' said Pacquiao, the country's top sports figure.

The fight was pretty much even, said Pacquiao's American coach, Freddie Roach, admitting that Larios had him worried in the early rounds.

The champion went for an early kill but the challenger stayed away from his right hand.

'I told him to stay off the ropes and fight in the middle,' Roach said.

Despite Roach's concerns, the judges decided the bout was a one-sided affair with the champion awarded the fight 117-110, 118-108 and 120-106 on the three scorecards.

Pacquiao - who has released a music album, stars in ads and features regularly on television - put in only six weeks of training for the bout against an opponent the president of the amateur boxing association of the Philippines described as having a glass jaw.

Larios (56-5-1), who trained for eight weeks in Japan and did not spar publicly as much as Pacquiao, proved hardy. But aside from his right hand, he had few other weapons.

Pacquiao (42-3-2) will now fight Eric Morales of Mexico in the third bout of their grudge match to determine who will face WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico.

'This is what I am preparing for,' Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao defeated Morales in January in Las Vegas after losing to him last year. The Filipino beat Barrera two years ago in a non-title match.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said all of the Philippines celebrated 'the feat of our boxing hero'.

'Once more, Manny epitomised the fighting spirit of the Filipino; the discipline, hard work and determination that we all need to fulfil our dreams for our country,' Arroyo said in a statement.