MANILA – Another ring legend has bared his observations regarding the coming Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios fight.
Panama’s Roberto Duran, widely regarded as one of the best fighters of all time, said Pacquiao is capable of coming back and that Rios may be in trouble.
Duran said in an interview on Ring TV that the Filipino’s knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez may even make Pacquiao a difficult foe for Rios.
"Sure, he's embarrassed because of the Marquez loss, and because it happened in front of millions of people, and he feels that he needs to redeem himself. So Brandon needs to be very, very careful," said "Manos de Piedra" or Hands of Stone.
Just like Pacquiao, Duran suffered back-to-back losses to Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns in the 1980s.
Against Hearns, he fell flat on his face after getting clipped with a big right hand in the second round.
Years later, he was still able to win the WBC middleweight title by outscoring Iran Barkley.
"I was knocked out ... but I was able to come back and win the title, so by no means can you count out Manny Pacquiao,” said Duran.
He said in order for Rios to survive, the Mexican-American will have to give Pacquiao an intelligent fight.
“I just give Brandon Rios the advice to go in and attack and to not hesitate, because he can win if he just fights intelligently," said Duran.
Earlier, Duran's rival "Sugar" Ray Leonard said Pacquiao's knockout defeat could be a factor in the coming bout.
Leonard added that if Pacquiao loses to Rios, then it might be the end of the road for the fighting congressman.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
