Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao nicknamed "Pacman" defeated Mexican Oscar Larios here on Sunday, earning a unanimous decision and retaining the World Boxing Council (WBC) international super featherweight title.

The 27-year-old Pacquiao showed off his speed and power in front of the home fans. He knocked down the 29-year-old Larios twice in the 12-round bout and raised his win-draw-loss record to 42-3-2.

Both fighters were almost evenly matched in weight, with Pacquiao tipping the scales at 129.5 lbs (about 58 kilograms) and Larios, who was a two-time super bantamweight champion, at 129.

"This is for all my countrymen who always supported and prayed for me," Pacquiao said in an earlier press conference on Thursday, the last time he was allowed to speak to the media before the fight.

Pacquiao earned 1 million U.S. dollars for the commercialized fight. His victory consolidated his hold on the WBC international super featherweight title, a belt normally contested by boxers ranked 11th and above in their division. Pacquiao is ranked 2 and Larios 5.

Source: Xinhua