Pacquiao Beats Lucero on TKO

It was a muggy 83 degrees in the sold-out Grand Olympic Auditorium on Saturday night and Emmanuel Lucero was doing his best to cool off the crowd with his wild and off-the-mark punches.

Unfortunately for the sweaty gathering of 6,500, Lucero’s free-swinging ways were short-lived as International Boxing Federation junior-featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao successfully defended his title with a third-round technical knockout of the awkward-fighting and often out-of-control Lucero.

“The strategy, he was way too low,” said Pacquiao, who improved to 37-2-1 with 28 knockouts. “He looked like an amateur fighter.”

The left-handed Pacquiao set up Lucero (21-1-1) with a soft right jab to the forehead before catching him flush on the jaw with a left hook.

Lucero was out on his feet and staggered to the ropes with his back to Pacquiao. But before Pacquiao could land another blow, referee Jose Cobain shielded Lucero, who had fallen to his knees, and waved off the bout 48 seconds into the third round.

Pacquiao has his sights on a match with Marco Antonio Barrera, providing he can settle his legal issues with his former management group.

Also on the card: junior-lightweight Felipe Campa (11-4-1) of Los Angeles won a six-round unanimous decision over Adam Gonzalez (10-8) of Long Beach; junior-featherweight Rogelio Ramirez (2-2-1) of Los Angeles knocked out Robert Ortiz (5-2-2) of Oxnard in the third round; and middleweight Sergio Mora (9-0) of East L.A. beat Damone Wright (15-21-2) of Omaha with a six-round unanimous decision.