Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao.
© AFP Romeo Gacad

MANILA (AFP) - The southpaw Pacquiao, 27, floored Larios twice with a flurry of combinations to the head and body in the seventh and final rounds.

Pacquiao's hand speed troubled Larios throughout the match, and the Mexican's face was bloodied as the Filipino champion put the heat on from the fifth round.

Pacquiao's standing improved to 42 wins and three losses, while Larios fell to 56-5.

Pacquiao, considered in the boxing world to be among the best pound-per-pound fighters, praised Larios for giving a good fight that at times pushed him to the ropes.

"I felt I was carrying the fight. I controlled the fight. I did not rush," said Pacquiao, who earlier predicted a knock out. "I was hit but I was never hurt."

The Filipino fighter, known for his blistering left-right combinations, said he changed strategies and tried to relax in the earlier rounds to please the capacity crowd at Manila's Araneta Coliseum.

Larios, 29, said he prepared well for the fight, and blamed himself for being over-confident and not listening to his corner at times. He had Pacquiao on the defensive on the third round and felt he could knock out the Filipino.

"I feel very sad because I came to win, but at the end of the day that's the way it goes. Manny is a great fighter, I felt that Manny beat me primarily with his speed," he said.

Larios stressed however that he was floored twice because he lost his balance and not because he absorbed punishing blows.

Pacquiao ruled out a rematch with Larios, and said he was now eyeing a likely rematch with Erik Morales, the Mexican fighter he beat in January this year to win the WBC international super featherweight division.

©AFP