By Chris Williams: Robert Garcia, the trainer for Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s), thinks Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s) isn’t the same fighter he once was due to the wear and tear from the combination of the many ring wars he’s been in, as well as the natural ravages of age that hits a soon to be 35-year-old body. Just being alive for 35-years is difficult for a fighter, but when you look at the punishment Pacquiao has taken, it has a deteriorating effect.
Garcia said this as quoted by Tempo.com.ph “He [Pacquiao] doesn’t have the same strength. Age, punishment in the ring [have slowed Pacquiao down]. There are things that nobody can hide.”
It could be hard for Manny in this fight if he’s not able to knock Rios out, because this isn’t Antonio Margarito who Pacquiao is fighting in the ring. Rios a lot younger than Margarito was when he fought a still prime version of Pacquiao in 2010. Rios is a lot quicker than Margarito, and he’s got punching power with most of his shots.
Rios might go to the body a lot in this fight, because that’s one of the areas where Pacquiao has been vulnerable in the past. Once Rios works Pacquiao’s body over, he can then go to the head and possibly knock him out cold like Juan Manuel Marquez did last December.
Rios and Pacquiao will be facing each other for the vacant WBO International welterweight title on November 23rd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China. This is an experimental card where Top Rank is hoping a massive of Chinese tune in to watch the fight in mainland China.
Arum has one of China’s biggest stars Zou Shiming fighting in the co-feature about against an opponent still to be determined, even though most casual boxing fans have probably never even heard of Shiming in the U.S. That obviously isn’t going to help the Pacquiao-Rios card bring in U.S PPV numbers unless Arum starts stacking the card with well-known fighters from his Top Rank stable that the average American has heard of and actually wants to see.
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