Roach wants rematches with Bradley, Marquez

MANILA, Philippines – Now that Manny Pacquiao has proven he can still compete at a high level with his beatdown of Brandon Rios, his trainer wants the “Pacman” to avenge the two losses that he incurred in 2012.

Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in contrasting fashion last year.

In June 2012, he was stunned when Bradley was awarded a split decision victory in their fight, which he clearly won. But in December, Marquez landed a picture-perfect right hand with a second to go in the sixth round that knocked Pacquiao out cold.

Pacquiao bounced back by routing Rios in Macau last weekend in what was his first fight since losing to Marquez last year.

Following the victory, trainer Freddie Roach said that he hopes Pacquiao can avenge both losses.

“Personally, I want Marquez, but the thing is I can’t be sure if we can get him to fight us,” Roach said, as quoted by Boxing Scene, noting that the Mexican wants “a lot of money.”

Marquez has also been reluctant to commit to a fifth fight against Pacquiao, repeatedly saying he is satisfied with having gotten the last word in their rivalry.

Roach told RingTV that he feels it is unfair that Marquez is refusing to give Pacquiao a rematch, considering the history between the two fighters.

“I don’t like the way he gloats about how he finally beat Manny Pacquioa, and that he got robbed all those other times and stuff like that. He turned us down for a rematch, but we gave him three rematches,” Roach pointed out.

“I think he owes us one,” he added.

Bradley, who recently beat Marquez in their showdown to retain the WBO welterweight belt that he won off Pacquiao, is another option.

“Bradley is out there,” Roach said. “I think Bradley is someone that we have to avenge that loss, even though he won that fight so easily.”

Unlike Marquez, Bradley has made no secret of his desire to fight Pacquiao again, as he wants to prove that he deserved his June 2012 victory and is also keen to beat the “Pacman” in more decisive fashion.

Roach also said they still want to fight unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Pacquiao is tentatively scheduled to return on April 12, 2014, and his promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, said they have yet to discuss the return fight.

“We’ll talk to Manny, we’ll talk to Freddie, but I know we are tentatively scheduled for April 12, hopefully in the United States,” Arum said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao 'saw stars' after hard blow from Rios

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao may have battered Brandon Rios in their welterweight showdown in Macau on Sunday, but the Pacman admitted that “Bam Bam” managed to sneak in a blow that stunned him hard.

Pacquiao set the tone right in the opening round, overwhelming Rios with multi-punch combinations and keeping his foe off-balance with his constant lateral movement.

Although he cruised to a unanimous decision victory, Pacquiao revealed that there was a moment in the fight when Rios caught him.

“May round doon na nasaktan ako ng left hook niya, at talagang biglang maraming star,” Pacquiao said on ANC's "Headstart" on Monday. “Tinamaan ako, tapos biglang may star.”

The blow – Rios’ best of the night – happened in the fifth round, Pacquiao revealed in the post-fight press conference. He shrugged it off, however, and stuck to his game plan.

“Sandali lang,” Pacquiao answered when asked how long he saw stars.

Rios was bleeding from a cut above his eye by the sixth round and his face was well-marked by the end of the fight, but he maintained that he was not fazed by Pacquiao’s power. Indeed, even after Pacquiao clearly snapped his head back with a straight, Rios smiled, stuck out his tongue and egged the Filipino on.

“I was never hurt,” Rios said in the post-fight press conference. “What got me was the awkwardness and speed. I haven’t fought a southpaw in a long time.”

“He got me a couple of times with the straight left,” Rios said, but also claimed that Pacquiao’s best punch was his quickness.

Pacquiao is convinced, however, that he hurt Rios repeatedly, even as he was impressed with the younger fighter’s toughness.

“Bilib ako sa tibay niya, kasi ang dami kong power punch na tumama sa mukha. Alam ko nasaktan siya, pero magaling siya magdala,” Pacquiao said.

“Alam ko nasaktan naman siya, kasi ‘yung kamay ko sumakit, ‘yun pa kayang mukha niya?” he added. “Magaling lang siya magdala. Kahit nasaktan siya, hindi siya nagpapahalata.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Boxing pundits convinced Pacquiao has plenty left

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao marked his return to the win column with an impressive performance against Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios Sunday in Macau, and the victory showed that the “Pacman” still has plenty left in the tank.

Coming off back-to-back losses – including a knockout at the hands of Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez – Pacquiao faced tremendous questions entering his fight against the hard-hitting Rios. But he let his fists do the talking in their 12-round fight, which he won via unanimous decision.

“In the aftermath of a horrifying knockout loss to Juan Manule Marquez last December, questions about whether Pacquiao would be the same fighter lingered,” Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated wrote after the “Clash in Cotai.”

“But while Pacquiao is not the same human wrecking ball he was through 2009, he proved against Rios that, at 34, he still has plenty left,” he added. “Boxing brilliantly, Pacquiao moved in, out and around Rios, peppering him with combinations, bruising his face with thudding power shots. It was an easy fight to score… with little controversy.”

Brian Campbell of ESPN wrote: “With the alternative being a third straight loss and possible retirement, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Manny Pacquiao is back following his 12-round whitewash of hard-charging Brandon Rios.”

Like Mannix, Campbell noted that Pacquiao may not have been as destructive as he was in 2009, when he routinely beat up bigger opponents, but it was still an impressive performance considering the stakes.

“In his first fight following a scary, one-punch knockout against Juan Manuel Marquez last December, coming off the longest layoff of his career, it wasn’t too shabby,” wrote Campbell.

“Pacquiao simply had his way with the one-dimensional Rios, establishing himself early to the body before continuously peppering the Mexican-American fighter with combinations upstairs en route to an easy, unanimous decision win,” he added.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said prior to the fight that he will advise the Filipino to retire should he lose to Rios, was satisfied with his prized ward’s performance, saying the Pacman fought a “perfect” fight.

Even Rios’ trainer, Robert Garcia, who got into an altercation with Roach prior to Sunday's showdown, acknowledged that Pacquiao was far from done.

“Pacquiao still has it. He has quickness and great speed. He’ll be around for a long time,” said Garcia.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Pacquiao didn't knockout Rios

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino pride Manny Pacquiao marveled at Brandon Rios’ ability to take his punches throughout their 12-round bout in Macau.

Pacquiao, who is known for his blinding speed and heavy hands, landed a total of 281 punches against Rios -- or more than double the Mexican-American’s output.

But Rios has a world-class chin and was able to withstand Pacquiao’s assault.

“He is one of the toughest opponents in my career. He took a lot of punches, the right hands, the left hands, but he is still standing,” the Filipino told fight commentator Larry Merchant during the post-fight interview.

Nevertheless, Pacquiao took home the win, owing to his superior boxing skills.

The fleet-footed Filipino bobbed, weaved and circled around the slower Rios, who managed to land only 138 of his 502 punches on Pacquiao.

Pacquiao also admitted that he took a more cautious approach, which was why he wasn’t chasing a knockout victory over Rios.

He cited his defeat to Juan Manuel Marquez 11 months ago, which he said taught him to become more patient.

“I learned in the last fight… If the knockout comes it will come. I'm very careful laying out punches and counterpunch, that what I did in this fight,” Pacquiao said.

With the Rios fight now behind him, the fighting congressman will have time to visit the typhoon survivors in Tacloban, to whom he dedicated his latest win.

“Thank you for all the support, my fellow countrymen. And to the people affected by the typhoon, I will see you there. I love you so much,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Beckham roots for 'inspirational' Pacquiao

MACAO - Asian boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao will not only have the support of a Filipino-packed crowd when he fights Brandon Rios on Sunday, but also a phalanx of celebrity cheerleaders, led by David Beckham.

The former England football captain will be joined at the Macau ringside by a number of celebrity guests for the fight, including Oscar-wining actor and director George Clooney, Sands China CEO Ed Tracy confirmed.

Reality TV star Paris Hilton and Daniel Wu and Eddie Peng will also be at ringside, while American rap superstar 50 Cent is also strongly rumoured to be flying in to see "Pac-Man's" comeback fight.

Singing star Alicia Keys, who has been performing concerts at the Venetian Resort where the bout will take place, is also expected to attend.

Beckham jetted in to the southern Chinese city on Friday and immediately declared himself to be a "huge fan" of eight-weight world champion Pacquiao.

Beckham arrived to announce a commercial partnership with the resort's owners, Sands Las Vegas, but then let slip the real reason why he had decided to travel to the the semi-autonomous Chinese region this weekend.

"(Pacquiao) is obviously one of the reasons why I'm here and why I'm really excited," said the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star at a press conference.

"I'm a huge fan of Manny's. I met him a couple of years ago in the Philippines, when I was on tour there with the LA Galaxy and also there with UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund).

"He really is a truly inspirational person."

Beckham also had a message for the people of the Philippines as they attempt to rebuild their towns and lives after the devastation wreaked by Super Typhoon Haiyan on November 8, which has left nearly 7,000 people dead or missing.

"The eyes of the world have been on the Philippines the last couple of weeks," said Beckham.

"This fight will mean so much to Manny because, for a slight moment, it's going to put a smile on the people's faces in the Philippines.

"And we all send out love and our hopes to the people in that part of the world."

Pacquiao, coming off back-to-back defeats for the first time in his glittering career, takes on Rios in a "must-win" bout for the World Boxing Organization international welterweight championship in Macau on Sunday morning (Saturday night in the US).

The boxers are expected to touch gloves for the main event around 11:30 am (0330 GMT).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Free live screenings of Pacquiao match in Yolanda-hit areas

"We know how much of an inspiration Manny Pacquiao is to all Filipinos. We thought it was fitting that our kapamilyas who have shown a tremendous, resilient spirit in the face of great adversity, should see our national boxing hero in action," said SkyCable COO Ray Montinola in a statement.

The Sky viewing stations will be located in the following venues:

1. Tacloban, Leyte (2 locations)
a. Astrodome
b. Capitol grounds
2. Ormoc, Leyte - Town plaza, near old City hall
3. Guiuan, Samar - Town plaza
4. Estancia, Iloilo - Town plaza, near Municipal hall
5. Concepcion, Iloilo - Town plaza, near Municipal hall
6. Medellin, Cebu - Town plaza

Montinola said Sky viewing stations were put up starting November 15, "so people in the Typhoon Yolanda-affected areas will have access to information and entertainment, via ABS-CBN, ANC, and Cartoon Network, despite widespread power outages."

"Since then, we've received appreciative responses from the residents there, adults and children alike, as they're made aware of the ongoing relief efforts and also get to enjoy a much-needed respite from their difficult situation after the typhoon."

In its 8 a.m. update on Saturday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said that the death toll from super typhoon "Yolanda" now stands at 5,235 and at least 1,613 remain missing.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao, Rios make weight for Macau clash

MANILA - Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and American rival Brandon Rios appeared together to weigh in for their much-awaited match in Macau.

In checkered boxer shorts, Pacquiao tipped the scales at 145 pounds and Rios weighed in at 146 ½ pounds.

"I feel happy because of the crowd. I'm not expecting them. There's a lot of people coming to the grand arrival but I'm surprised by their support and I'm so happy and excited," Pacquiao said.

Sunday's bout is a make-or-break fight for the Filipino fighting congressman, one of the most important battles in his 18-year professional career.

Pacquiao suffered two straight losses against American Timothy Bradley and Mexican fighter Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao described his preparation for the fight as one of the longest camps in his boxing career.

In earlier interviews, Pacquiao offered the fight to survivors of super typhoon Yolanda.

"I'm so happy the fight is in Asia, especially very close to the Philippines," he said.

Rios, for his part, said he is ready and will fight Pacquiao with his "heart and my balls. I'm young and I want that title."

The Pacquiao-Rios bout will be held at the Venetian Macao, Cotai Arena in Macau.

Top Rank's Bob Arum said it's going to be a great fight.

"I think it has a chance to be Fight of the Year," Arum said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

David Beckham looks forward to Pacquiao fight

MACAU - Retired soccer star David Beckham declared himself "a huge fan" of boxer Manny Pacquiao on Friday and said he was excited at the prospect of the Pacquiao versus Brandon Rios fight on Sunday.

Beckham is one of a number of celebrity guests in Macau for the fight, at the invitation of the casino where the bout is taking place. Former England captain Beckham is collaborating on community projects with the casino owner, U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

"It's obviously one of the reasons why I'm here and why I'm really excited being here. I'm a huge fan of Manny's. I met him a couple of years ago in the Philippines with, when I was on tour there with the Galaxy and also there with UNICEF. And he truly is an inspirational person," said Beckham.

Beckham, who moved to USA and the Major League Soccer (MLS) after his glory days in European soccer, has already confirmed rumours that he is planning to start a new soccer team with MLS, based in Miami. But it has become evident that a formal announcement will come later.

The league has confirmed it is in discussions with Beckham but is awaiting a formal bid, including details of the city, the ownership group, and a stadium plan, which is expected before the end of the year.

"It's something that I want to achieve," said Beckham. "I want to continue to be successful and I want to continue to be successful in America. And owning a team is something I'm really excited about. Like I said, I've looked at different places in America. Miami is something that really excited me because I think there's a great energy down there. I've been to the heat games, I've seen excitement of the people, and I think they're ready for a football team in that part of the world. You know, like I said. It's not been announced yet but at some point we'll have some very good news," said Beckham.

The Pacquiao fight is a coup for Macau, a former Portuguese colony and now a special administrative region of China, like neighbouring Hong Kong.

Its 35 gaming houses are the only places where Chinese nationals are allowed to gamble in casinos, and revenues are soaring with Macau gaming revenues expected to be seven times those of Las Vegas this year.

Now China's central government is calling for Macau to attract more tourists, not just hardcore gamblers, and hosting sports events is a direct way of doing this.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao may earn up to $30M in Rios fight

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is guaranteed to earn $18 million for his non-title welterweight showdown against Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, his promoter confirmed on Wednesday.

Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum told Yahoo! Sports reporter Kevin Iole that Pacquiao was guaranteed $18 million, but that number can rise significantly once the pay-per-view revenue is factored in.

Pacquiao can end up earning as much as $30 million for the fight, which will be his first in nearly a year.

Meanwhile, Rios is guaranteed $4 million.

Pacquiao is seeking to bounce back from back-to-back losses in 2012, having lost to Timothy Bradley controversially in June before getting knocked out by rival Juan Manuel Marquez in December.

Rios is also coming off a loss – the first of his career – when he was outpointed by Mike Alvarado in their rematch last March.

The Pacquiao-Rios showdown, billed the "Clash in Cotai," will be held in Macau on November 24 (Manila time).

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Roach, Garcia, Ariza in scuffle in Macau gym

 Although there are still a couple of days to go before the big fight, the corner men of welterweight boxers Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios got the fireworks started early when they engaged in an altercation at the gym in the Venetian Hotel in Macau.

Freddie Roach, the trainer of Pacquiao, confronted his counterpart Robert Garcia at the gym Wednesday while the trainer of Rios was being interviewed by a Filipino reporter.

Elie Seckbach of ESNews was able to provide a video of the incident, which quickly escalated and resulted in Roach being pushed and mocked, as racial and homophobic slurs were exchanged.

Radio Rahim was also able to interview not only Roach and Garcia, but also Alex Ariza, who later got involved in the scuffle.

Roach was first seen in the background while Garcia was being interviewed. The Hall-of-Fame trainer eventually approached Garcia to ask him to leave the gym.

“We have the gym at 11 o’clock,” Roach said, to which Garcia replies “I ain’t going nowhere.”

Roach then repeatedly tried to get Garcia to leave, and Garcia can be heard saying: “I ain’t no piece of sh*t.”

Roach then dared the members of Team Rios to “throw me out,” as one person shouted at him to “Get the (expletive) out of here. This ain’t Wild Card (Roach’s gym in Los Angeles).”

At that point, Ariza, a former strength and condition trainer of Pacquiao who now works with Rios, entered the scuffle and Roach was seen being pushed back. Roach later revealed that Ariza kicked him in the chest.

Ariza can later be heard saying: “Mind you (expletive) business, you’re a (expletive) joke,” while also calling Roach a homophobic slur. He also repeatedly mocked Roach’s Parkinson’s disease, mimicking the trainer’s stutter while daring him to get inside the ring that was in the middle of the gym.

Meanwhile, Garcia lambasted Roach for his disrespect and claimed that Pacquiao’s trainer hurled a racial slur at one of his team members.

“Dude calls me a piece of sh*t. I admire what he’s done in boxing, and now he’s (expletive) calling me a piece of sh*t,” Garcia said. “Roach, now it’s personal, (expletive). (Expletive) you.”

“Hopefully you guys (the media) caught that. He (Roach) calls him a stupid Mexican, too,” Garcia said, pointing to a member of Team Rios.

Rios, meanwhile, stayed out of sight throughout the entire incident and was later seen running on the treadmill. His only comment was to say, “Oh, kill him,” after Roach left the scene.

Pacquiao was not in the gym at the time of the incident.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao can bounce back after KO loss, says Duran

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

Odds makers favor Donaire over Darchinyan

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Nonito Donaire Jr. had a fruitful camp in Las Vegas and Oxnard, where he trained with fellow boxer Brandon Rios.

Both Rios and Donaire train under the watchful eyes of coach Robert Garcia

“Ibibigay ko ang lahat ng makakaya ko, nag-training ako ng husto.. I'll be ready for the fight,” said Donaire, who is up for a rematch against Vic Darchinyan.

Donaire will slug it out in a triple headline at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas this Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

“The Filipino Flash” said that he will dedicate the fight to his fellow Filipinos.

Online betting sites favor Donaire over his Armenian opponent.

A $1,000-bet on Donaire could yield $100, while a $100 bet on the underdog Darchiyan could yield $660.

This, more or less, reflects the predictions of some boxing analysts.

Veteran sports writer Kevin Iole said he expects Donaire to knock out the Armenian boxer, noting that the Filipino is in his prime of his boxing career.

“I like Nonito Donaire as a fighter… Nonito should score a win by knock out on that fight,” said Iole.

“I think Darchinyan is coming up in weight, he feels better at this weight. However, I think he is still not gonna be able to stop Nonito's speed, he is not gonna be able to counter that Nonito's got power,” said Jaime Motta of Univision Sports.

Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. also picked Donaire for a win but not with a knockout.

“Knockout sometimes come, sometimes not, but I think he'll win the fight,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

It's do-or-die for Pacquiao

LOS ANGELES – Bob Arum didn’t mince words when he talked about the importance of Manny Pacquiao’s coming fight against Brandon Rios.

“This is a very important fight for him to win,” the legendary promoter told The STAR from his Las Vegas home the other night.

Arum said Pacquiao, coming off back-to-back losses, really can’t afford a third straight.

Arum said it could mean everything for the Filipino boxing icon.

“It will certainly hurt him if he loses this fight,” said Arum of the welterweight showdown set Nov. 23 (Nov. 24 in Manila) at The Venetian Hotel in Macau.

And what if Pacquiao does?

“It may signify the end. It will be very devastating for him,” Arum, in his slow, familiar voice added.

Pacquiao is not too old at 34 but has gone through a lot inside the ring. He has fought guys much bigger and heavier than him and took their best shots.

But it’s the knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez last December that may have inflicted the biggest damage – if it really did.

Pacquiao went down in the third round after taking a sweeping right to the side of the head and sent Marquez down in the fifth.

He had Marquez in deep trouble in the sixth. And as Pacquiao went for the kill in the closing seconds of the round he ran smack into the Mexican’s big right.

He was knocked out and lay motionless on the canvas. It was a pretty scary sight.

Arum said the fight against Rios gives Pacquiao the opportunity to prove that his loss to Marquez is just a loss, a result of a lucky punch and a thing of the past.

And it’s not going to be easy.

“Brandon Rios is a very, very tough kid. And he’s very confident he can beat Manny,” said Arum from the other end of the line.

“Manny has to fight a good, intelligent and hard fight like when he fought (Miguel) Cotto and (Oscar dela Hoya) Dela Hoya and (Antonio) Margarito,” he added.

That’s what Arum wants.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Fast-paced Pacquiao will pick Rios to pieces'

MANILA, Philippines – Brandon Rios will find himself severely lacking when he goes up against a rapid punching Manny Pacquiao, according to a fighter who has already beaten the Filipino superstar.

WBO welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley said that although he thinks Rios is the bigger puncher, he believes Pacquiao’s speed will be too much for the Mexican-American to handle.

“There is always risk when you are in there with a big puncher, absolutely, but like I always tell everybody, speed kills, speed kills in every sport, it does not matter what sport it is,” Bradley, who edged Pacquiao via a controversial split decision, said in an interview with On The Ropes Boxing Radio.

Bradley added that Rios tends to slug it out while applying pressure on his opponents. This, he said, makes the Mexican-American vulnerable to Pacquiao’s quick and well-timed strikes.

“Rios is not a real big defensive guy at all. He keeps his hands high, but Pacquiao is the kind of fighter that punches through guards,” he said.

“I feel that he’s going to punch through Rios’ guard and pick him to pieces.”

Bradley said that if Pacquiao successfully hits Rios with regularity, that is a possibility that the Mexican brawler might succumb to pressure and go down.

“I don’t know if he’ll knock him out, but there’s a possibly that he can, he can bust him up and possibly get him out of there,” he said.

Former junior welterweight contender Marcos Maidana begged to disagree with Bradley.

Maidana, who trains with Rios under boxing coach Robert Garcia, said Rios is the younger and hungrier fighter.

He stressed that with youth, the 27-year-old Mexican-American can offset any advantage the 34-year-old Pacquiao might have.

“His (Pacquiao) speed and his strength and his boxing ability could give him problems. But Brandon is Brandon and he’ll definitely overcome that,” said the Argentine boxer in Hustle Boss.

“[Brandon is] a fighter and like I said, he has the youth, and that’s going to be a major factor,” Maidana added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao, Rios undergo drug testing ahead of fight

MANILA – Filipino ring legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and American fighter Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios have been tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) ahead of their November 24 fight.

VADA founder Margaret Goodman told RingTV that both fighters have already been tested, as stipulated in their contract.

“I can confirm that both fighters have been tested by VADA,” Goodman said. “The results that we get go directly to the fighter, or to whomever he designates from his camp.”

“They got to the promoter, which is obviously Top Rank, the China Commission, and it goes to the Association of Boxing Commissioners,” she added.

Goodman said VADA will not release the results to the public, but “the fighter can release results to the public at any time.”

It is the first time in his career that Pacquiao is undergoing random drug testing for a fight. It has been a controversial issue with the Filipino boxer, as random drug testing was one of the demands of unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather for a mega-fight between the two.

Top Rank chief executive Bob Arum confirmed last May that they are paying for the random drug testing.

It is the third time that Top Rank has utilized the services of VADA. The organization also conducted the random drug testing for Timothy Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov in their March 2013 fight, as well as for Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux in their April 2013 fight.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rios ready for 'scary' Pacquiao, says trainer

MANILA, Philippines -- With Manny Pacquiao looking to return to his former self that saw him win eight titles over as many divisions, trainer Robert Garcia said Brandon Rios will be ready for the "scary" Filipino superstar.

"We're training for the Pacquiao that has done everything. The Pacquiao that is so fast, and so powerful, and who has knocked everybody out. We're preparing for the Pacquiao that's scary," Garcia said in an interview with RingTV.com in Las Vegas.

The trainer revealed that Rios is working on his speed for the November 24 bout.

"We don't like to publicize what's going on in training, but I'm so impressed. Brandon's been knocking our sparring partners out. He's doing a good job, looking so strong and so fast, and we've still got six weeks before the fight," said Garcia.

Rios recently lost his last fight at 140 pounds against Mike Alvarado in May but Garcia was quick to point out that Rios is going to be faster fighting as a first-time welterweight.

"Brandon's going to fight at welterweight, so he doesn't have to kill himself to make weight. He's strong and he's walking around 10, 12 pounds over the weight," he said.

"But at six weeks before the fight that's no problem. Brandon's going to be faster," warned Garcia.

The trainer also admitted that even though the Filipino is not the same Pacquiao his team faced when he was in Antonio Margarito's corner in 2010, Rios still needs to be wary of the threat.

Pacquiao won that fight against Margarito by a unanimous decision but has since suffered back-to-back losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.

"I don't see the same Pacquiao of five years ago. I know that a lot of people will agree with me, but we still need to prepare for that scary Pacquiao," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ariza still considers Pacquiao a friend

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao’s former conditioning coach Alex Ariza claims he still considers the Filipino superstar a friend despite his decision to team up with Pacman’s opponent, Brandon Rios.

The controversial strength coach was recently hired by Rios’ camp to work on the Mexican-American’s conditioning following his falling out with Team Pacquiao.

But Ariza pointed out that he didn’t join Team Rios to get back at Pacquiao.

"As far as the personal thing, I still consider [Pacquiao] a friend," Ariza told Ring.tv’s Ryan Songalia.

"I don't have a vendetta or want any kind of reciprocity. It's just I have to come here now, I have a new fighter and a new responsibility and my job is to win. That's what I'm here for,” he explained.

Ariza added that his main task as Rios’ conditioning coach is to make sure that the boxer will maintain his punching power and reflexes despite making a weight climb to welterweight.

He assured that his work doesn’t deal with Rios’ strategies against Pacquiao.

"Brandon is going to fight his fight and he's going to stick to Robert and whatever his strategy is," he said.

"It's not like they brought me out here to sit me down and go, 'Well, how does Manny move to the right? How does Manny move to the left?' Nobody does that.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Korean boxer to test Pacquiao in sparring

MANILA, Philippines – Korea’s Min Wook-Kim will be the first boxer to test Filipino ring icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao in sparring as he gears up for his November 24 fight against the hard-hitting Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios.

PNA’s Eddie Alinea reported Wednesday that Min, a light welterweight boxer, was vouched for by former world champion Gerry Peñalosa. [http://philboxing.com/news/story-87294.html]

“Parang si Rios ang kilos. Strong, quick at pasok din ng pasok,” Peñalosa said of Min, who has an 11-1-0 win-loss-draw record and stands at 5-foot-9.

“I told Manny and Freddie na pakikinabangan si Min, at least at a time when they are still scouting for a regular sparring partner,” Peñalosa told Alinea.

Alinea reported that Min will fly in from Seoul Wednesday and proceed immediately to General Santos City, where Pacquiao set up camp a week ago. The Filipino icon will work with Min until Freddie Roach arrives in the city with his regular sparring partners.

Roach is set to arrive in General Santos City in early October.

Pacquiao is starting his sparring early for this training camp, which an assistant trainer said is a testament to the boxer’s conditioning.

“Si Manny ang may gusto na mapaaga ang sparring,” said assistant trainer Nonoy Neri. “Ibig lang sabihin noon, nasa kondisyo na siya para doon. Next week, magsisimula na kami ng plyometric at isometric exercises for conditioning purposes.”

Pacquiao is trying to rebound from consecutive losses he suffered last year: a controversial split decision against Timothy Bradley Jr. in June, and a crushing knockout at the hands of Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez in December.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Worst thing Pacquiao can do is underestimate Rios'

MANILA – The worst thing Manny Pacquiao can do in his comeback fight is to underestimate the dangerous Brandon Rios, said conditioning coach Alex Ariza.

In Ariza’s opinion, the 27-year-old Rios seems to be a formidable opponent who can withstand harsh punishment in the ring.

He also told veteran sportscaster Ronnie Nathanielsz that the Mexican brawler can also throw a mean punch.

“Rios is very durable, I think he punches harder than [Juan Manuel] Marquez,” said Ariza, who is credited for helping Pacquiao make his successful climb to the welterweight ranks through his scientific approach in conditioning his athletes.

Ariza, meanwhile, admitted that he remains clueless about his status with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao said he is no longer working with the conditioning coach since his trainer Freddie Roach fired Ariza.

“I haven’t heard anything from Manny. How can Freddie fire me when I don’t work for him? Everybody knows that the past two years I haven’t worked for Freddie,” he said.

“I will give Manny a call and talk to him but you just never know.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Arum sees Pacquiao headlining 'Thrilla in Manila II'

MANILA – Top Rank Inc. CEO Bob Arum believes pressure for a second "Thrilla in Manila," headlined by Manny Pacquiao, is building up with the construction of 4 big casinos in the Manila Bay waterfront.

“You gotta understand, they filled in part of the waterfront around Manila Bay and they're building four unbelievably luxurious casinos,” Arum explained in an interview with Radio Rahim. “Those casinos should be up and running in the next year.”


Arum said that to boost the casinos’ opening, they will need an event of grand proportions similar to the historic Thrilla in Manila between Muhammad Ali and Smokin’ Joe Frazier in the 1970s.

“They gonna want to put an event in The Arena that's very, very close by,” said Arum “They're gonna use the Manny Pacquiao fight to bring players around Asia.”

SM Mall of Asia Arena, now the Philippines's largest indoor stadium, opened in the Manila Bay waterfront last year.

Arum has been branching out his operations to Asia, which has a population of 4.2 billion, citing a gold mine of a market waiting to be tapped.

However, his strategy will require a partnership with casinos to generate a sure profit.

Pacquiao is set to make his ring return on November 24 against Mexico’s Brandon Rios.

The fight will take place at The Venetian in Macau, which has a liberalized gaming industry similar to Las Vegas in the United States.

Arum sees Pacquiao fighting in Thrilla in Manila II before the Filipino retires from boxing.

Thrilla in Manila I was the third and final boxing match between Ali and Frazier for the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles.

It was fought at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City in 1975.

The bout, won by Ali, is ranked as one of the greatest fights of 20th century boxing, and is the climax to the bitter rivalry between Ali and Frazier.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com