By Michele Emrick
Manny Pacquiao expects his upcoming bout with Brandon Rios to be an all out slugfest. Looking to get back to his winning ways at the Nov. 24 fight, he believes a great performance will silence retirement talk after back-to-back losses.
Pacquiao will be making his return to action following a devastating knockout he suffered in December at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez. After that loss, many believed Pacquiao was done.
Not listening to his detractors, Manny Pacquiao arranged for a fight with Brandon Rios, another aggressive fighter.
“It’s going to be a good fight because Rios, he loves to fight toe-to-toe and he loves action in the ring,” Pacquiao told reporters in Macau on Saturday.
“So what we have to do is to train hard and prepare a hundred percent physically and mentally. And of course we always praying to God that nobody gets hurt,” the multiple time world champion said.
Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) also must rebound from a tough loss. In March, he lost on points to Mike Alvarado in a light welterweight contest held in Las Vegas. However, despite that loss, Rios is confident he has the ability to take out Manny Pacquiao.
“I’ll be ready. I’ll be in 100 percent health, 100 percent mental and physically ready. So November 24, you’ll see a new superstar rise and that’s going to be me,” said the California-based fighter, who boasts a height advantage over his opponent.
“I’m going to show the world and everybody that doubt me, everybody that talks bad about me, that say I’m a punching bag. They are going to find something out different. They’re going to see November 24, it’s going to be Brandon Rios, win.”
Before this fight was agreed to, many possible names were thrown out as possible opponents for Pacquiao. Mike Alvarado, and rematches with Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez were the most prominent names mentioned. But it was Rios who George Foreman felt was the best fight out there.
“Manny Pacquiao, in his weight division, there’s no one better at punching. Brandon Rios, in his division, there’s no one better at taking a punch. This will be one of the best fights we’ve ever seen,” Foreman said.
Both Rios and Pacquiao were on hand in Macau to promote their clash, which is being called ‘The Clash in Cotai.’ Pacquiao agreed with the assessment of the legendary heavyweight.
“Brandon Rios is the biggest test out there for me and I will be ready to meet the challenge,” said Pacquiao. “I have heard what Brandon has been saying. If he fights as well as he boasts it will be a great fight for us and the fans.”
http://youtu.be/oxKCp_NlLOc
