JIMUEL Pacquiao won his second straight fight in the US, hacking out a unanimous decision against Jonathan Barajas of Mexico on Friday (Manila time).
The eldest son of boxing legend Manny Pacquiao won by scores of 30-29 in the scorecards of the two judges, while the third one saw the Filipino winning, 29-28, despite losing the opening round.
Special attraction bout
The fight was held at the Montebello Country Club and was billed as a special attraction amateur bout by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions.
Among the spectators at ringside was UFC president Dana White, who had his photo taken later on with the young Pacquiao and MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons.
The win was the second consecutive in the US for the 21-year-old Pacquiao, who beat Mexican-American Andres Rosales in San Diego, California last March.
It likewise came on the heels of the elder Pacquiao’s failed bid for the presidency of the Philippines after conceding to presumptive winner Bongbong Marcos. The boxing great is currently running at third in the official count behind Marcos and vice president Leni Robredo.
Jimuel opted to stay in the US even during the campaign period in order to train and focus on his boxing career being handled by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach and Filipino trainer Marvin Somodio.