(Photo Credit: Top Rank/Chris Farina) By Chris Williams: Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) hates the idea that he’s being seen as the token victim for Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO’s) this Saturday night.
Rios doesn’t see himself as just another lamb being trotted out for the ritual slaughter for Pacquiao to entertain boxing fans on HBO pay-per-view, and he really feels he’s got an excellent chance of beating the 35-year-old Filipino and ending his long 18-year pro career.
“This is the best shape I have ever been. I’m nobody’s tune-up fight,” Rios said “I’m nobody’s punching bag – a punching bag doesn’t punch back. Sunday, you’re going to find out I’m not going to stop. I’m a monster when I get in that ring.”
Rios has a chance to flip the scrip by turning Pacquiao into a punching bag on Saturday night if he can cut off the ring and put enough pressure on Pacquiao to send him down to his third consecutive defeat. Rios’ goal is to retire Pacquiao once and for all.
Rios will have to take a certain amount of punishment to win this fight. He might feel like a punching bag for the first five or six rounds, but he’s got the power, youth and work rate to turn things around at a moments notice. You have to remember that Pacquiao is coming off of a brutal knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and his ability to take punishment may have been permanently compromised from that loss. We’ll have to see if Pacquiao can even take a shot without nose diving face first on the canvas for long nap. Rios might not like the idea of him being a punching bag, but he can definitely turn things around at some point and possibly with a single punch.
If Rios does turn into a monster on Saturday night we could very well see Pacquiao turn into an old man before our eyes if he can’t handle the return fire from the younger Rios. Pacquiao is counting on his hand speed and experience as being enough for him to get the victory, but the fact he’s not performed well in at least three years in the ring and that can be by accident that he’s looked so poorly. It could be that Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey were harder fights for Pacquiao than people originally thought because he doesn’t seem to be the same guy since before those two fights.
We might see the end of Pacquiao in this fight if Rios sticks it out and keeps putting pressure on Manny. He’s got an older fighter with a lot of mile on him. Pacquiao can go at any time in this fight, and Rios will then have the last laugh.
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