Pacquiao opts to fight Rios to prove boxing career ‘is not done yet’
Manny Pacquiao. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — A fighter who will engage him in an all-out war to prove that despite a string of losses, his boxing career is far from over.
That’s what steered former pound-for-pound boxer Manny Pacquiao to pluck Brandon Rios from a pool of opponents to fight as the two fighters are scheduled to clash on November 24 (Manila time) at The Venetian Macao Resort in Macau, China.
Pacquiao, in a presser on Wednesday in New York, clarified that in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez, where he suffered a one-punch knockout in the sixth round, his conditioning was not top notch.
So crossing paths against a much younger boxer in the 27-year-old Rios, more than willing to trade punches, can set the stage for Pacquiao’s redemption on the ring.
“People think that my boxing career has ended after my last fight. But my condition was amazing, one of the best. I just got careless and Marquez got a good shot,” said Pacquiao.
“I chose Rios because he’s a good fighter, he throws a lot of punches and very aggressive. There’s going to be more action in the ring and I can prove that I can still fight and my career is not done yet,” Pacquiao also said.
Rios, who boasts knockout power with a record of 31-1-1 with 23 KOs, meanwhile, sees the upcoming mega fight as a launching pad to superstardom.
“I wanna show the world that Rios is the next super star on the rise,” Rios said. “I’m ready 100%. I’m ready to fight.”
Trainer Robert Garcia, meanwhile, said his fighter, “has everything in his power to come out with a win. He is going to come out and surprise the world.”
The NYC presser was part of the fight promotional tour, which reached as far as Macau, Beijing and Shanghai in China and Singapore.
A video of the presser was made available at boxingscene.com.
The tour winds down with a press conference in Los Angeles on Friday (Manila time), and both camps’ build-up will shift to full gear as Pacquiao intends to train entirely at General Santos City.
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