November 23rd
Brandon Rios (31-1-1) will face Manny Pacquiao (54-6-1)
in what’s assumed to be a tailor made fight for Pacquiao. The word
tailor made can be a bit deceiving in this fight I believe. It would
lead you to believe there is no danger involved for Pacquiao, which
couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios
meet in a welterweight battle on HBO PPV on Saturday, November 23, the
main course after a pair of Zou-flavored aperitifs and possibly the most
substantial big-time boxing entrée in the region since Muhammad Ali
defeated Joe Frazier in the “Thrilla in Manila.”
PACQUIAO: 'MANNY IS BACK AND READY TO COMPETE WITH ANYONE IN THE WORLD'
Similar to your opponent, you enter this fight in unfamilar position.
You are coming off back to back losses, not to mention, to a fighter
you've beaten in Marquez and to another some argue that you beat. How
will those experiences prepare you for Rios?
Pacquiao's response in the blog:
"My two previous fights, though both officially losses, have not had a
huge impact on me. Though I accept the judges' decision, I still do not
understand their decision to score the fight against me when I fought
Timothy Bradley. I was the aggressor throughout the fight.
You can clearly see that by mid-fight, Bradley stopped engaging with me
because he couldn't keep up with me and take the punishment I was giving
him. So he decided to run from me. If there is a lesson to be learned
from that fight, I guess, it's not to take anything for granted.
I thought I won the fight then, and I still think I won that fight. If
your opponent doesn't want to fight, the judges should also take that
into consideration. I never felt that I lost that fight. The media and
fans never considered that fight a real loss.
"Compare those feeling to the reaction Bradley faced from the same
people. He certainly did not get treated like a conquering champion.
Those are his words, not mine. As for me, it did not really affect me
and I was eager to move forward.
"For my fourth fight against Juan Manuel Márquez, I was determined to
end our rivalry with finality. In training camp -- and it was one of my
best camps -- I was focused on being able to dominate Márquez from the
opening bell.
"I trained hard in camp to attack him from all angles, and though he had
his moments early in the fight, I knew I was beating him as the fight
wore on. I felt the momentum coming my way, and I was hurting him badly.
I could see it and feel it.
"But I got careless. When I heard the sound that only 10 seconds
remained in round 6, I could see he was teetering and I thought I could
finish him right then or at least land one more major blow to give him
and his trainer one more thing to think about between rounds.
"But I was reckless...careless...in my attack, and Márquez landed the
perfect shot. I watched the replay in my suite that night, and I knew
that I made a major error in a fight that I should have won and was
winning. But that's boxing.
"It was an exciting fight and I have not lost any sleep over it or
dwelled on it. It's the nature of the sport, and you have to accept it. I
was fully prepared, and had put in my time in training camp. I didn't
cut an corners.
"To prepare for Brandon Rios, I began my training camp four weeks
earlier than I normally do 12 weeks total. The first six weeks were
dedicated to conditioning and the last six weeks to boxing. It's not so
much what I have learned from the Bradley and Márquez fights that is
preparing me for my battle with Rios, it's what I have done in advance
of my training camp for the Rios fight, and that is to rest.
"Taking the longest break of my professional career refreshed me
physically and mentally. Though I always enjoy training for a fight, I
was more eager than usual for this training camp. I missed boxing. I
stayed in shape by playing basketball and volleyball daily and that was
refreshing, too, because it gave me a healthy diversion from boxing.
"But now that I am finally back in the gym, I feel like the 25-year-old
Manny Pacquiao. Speed, endurance, focus and power are all there. I feel
like I'm gliding in the ring. Sometimes, I have to look down to see if
my feet are even on the ground. I feel great.
"It has also been the most harmonious training camp I can remember, and
that has been a big factor. The biggest lesson I have learned over the
past year has not come from my losses to Bradley and Márquez. It's come
from being out of the ring for nearly one year.
"I have come to appreciate boxing even more. I enjoy it now more than
ever. I love it and I can't wait to return to the ring on Nov. 23 to
show everyone that Manny is back and ready to compete with anyone in the
sport. It's going to be an exciting fight, and I look forward to giving
the fans a great show."
RIOS TO "TRAIN FOR THE BEST MANNY PACQUIAO THERE HAS EVER BEEN'
You've had tremendous success as a professional. You were undefeated for
nearly 10 years. You enter this fight in unfamilar terrirory after
falling to Alvarado. Will you prepare for this fight any differently
than you always have? If so, how do you prepare so that you don't
completely alter your approach as a fighter to the point that you've
moved away from what made you a success?
Rios' response In the blog:
"I’m going to fight the way I always fight. The only difference is I
have to train in a smarter way. I can’t train to fight the way I fought
with Alvarado and other fighters I have fought. I have to train smart,
train to fight Manny Pacquiao.
I’m going to train the same way and fight the same way, but in a smarter
way, because I can’t change my style of fighting. I can’t change
something that has got me where I am now. The way I fight is the reason I
have the wins I have, the reason I have the fans I have, and the reason
I’m fighting the biggest fight in my career on Nov. 23 in Macau, China.
Falling to Alvarado in Rios vs. Alvarado II didn’t affect me at all.
What affected me was training to the Alvarado I fought the first time
at the Home Depot Center. That’s what affected me. I trained to fight
hard, yes, but to fight the Alvarado I fought before.
When I trained for Alvarado the first time on Oct. 13, 2012, I was
confident, and I was ready 100 percent for the fight. When I trained for
Alvarado second time, I would say I was over-confident, because I knew I
had hurt him the first fight and I had already beat him.
Therefore, I believed I could do it again. That’s where I messed up,
because I didn’t really think he was going to change his game. I didn’t
train for a different Alvarado. I honestly didn’t think he was going to
change his routine.
I trained for the Alvarado I had fought a few months back. That’s where I
messed up. This fight, Pacquaio vs. Rios, it’s going to be different. I
am going to train for everything. I am going to train for everything
Manny Pacquiao is going to bring and some.
I’m not going to assume he’s going to come into the fight like the
Pacquiao that recently got knocked out. No, I’m training for the best
Manny Pacquiao. I’m training for the elite fighter he is. I can never
underestimate any of my opponents, because at the end of the day, they
want the same thing I want. A win.
Getting that win, I have to assume Pacquaio is going to come in the best
shape of his life, because he’s hungry again. Manny Pacquiao wants and
needs that win on Nov 23 just like I want that win. So like I said
before, I’m going to train for the best Manny Pacquiao there has ever
been.
I will train hard like I always do. I will give the fans the exciting
fights they love to see, and I’m sure Pacquiao wants the same thing. I
will fight like the Brandon Rios my fans love to see, but like I said, I
will train smarter. I will fight smarter.
The loss to Alvarado earlier this year was a blessing in disguise,
because I lost the fight to the cards, a very close fight. On the other
hand, I won something else. I won the experience, the experience to
never be overconfident again. To always train for all scenarios, and
that’s exactly what I am going to do.