Pacquiao sparring partner wins at Madison Square Garden

MANILA, Philippines – Kenneth Sims Jr, the sparring partner of Manny Pacquiao, outpointed Puerto Rican boxer Luis Rodriguez via unanimous decision on Sunday, April 26 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 6-round lightweight bout served as an undercard of the heavyweight championship clash between Wladimir Klitschko and Bryant Jennings.

Sims pressed the action early on, constantly controlling the center of the ring and unleashing punishing head and body shots against Rodriguez.

The 21-year-old native of Chicago, Illinois was guilty of an accidental low blow in the third round, which caused Rodriguez to take a few minutes to recover.

Rodriguez rallied in the fifth frame, where he hammered Sims with hard combinations that eventually knocked off the American’s mouthpiece.

However, Sims was able to shift the momentum back on his side in the sixth round by accurately landing his punches before cruising to a decision victory with the scores of 60-54, 60-54 and 59-55.

Sims kept his undefeated streak intact with the win and improved his professional record to 6-0 with two knockouts, while Rodriguez dropped to 3-3, 2 KOs.

The 5-foot-10 pugilist was tapped to be one of Pacquiao’s sparring partners as the Filipino southpaw gears up for his much-awaited ring encounter versus Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 2 (May 3 in PH).

Sims has a similar fighting style to the sport’s reigning pound-for-pound king and can simulate the slight height advantage that the 5-foot-8 Mayweather holds over the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao.

In the main event, Klitschko remained as the undisputed heavyweight champion by defeating Jennings via unanimous decision. – Rappler.com