Rios plans to negate Pacquiao's speed

MANILA – Brandon Rios said he plans to take away Manny Pacquiao's speed which will be the Filipino’s biggest advantage when they fight on November 24.

In an interview on Hustle Boss, Rios said he’s aware that he will need to catch up with the fleet-footed Filipino once they square off at the Cotai Arena in Macau.

“The other guy is quicker than me, so all I gotta do is neutralize his speed,” said the 24-year-old Mexican-American.

To do that, Rios will be banking on his youth and stamina as he battles the fighting congressman.

He said the constant pressure will eventually break down Pacquiao.

“[I’ll beat him with] the pressure that I put on him, I throw punches in bunches, too,” said Rios.

The Mexican-American said he’s fought quicker boxers before and was able to handle them well.

One of them was Venezuelan Miguel Acosta, whom Rios halted in 10 rounds to win the WBC lightweight crown.

“That's what I did with Acosta, I neutralized his speed, he's very fast and I neutralized him,” said Rios.

He added that a victory over Pacquiao will be huge for his career. A dominant win would mean that “he has already arrived.”

“It's just my time now, and I'll be ready.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

I'm not a sparring partner, Rios warns Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Hard-hitting brawler Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios was glad to hear that his November 24 opponent, Filipino legend Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, has been looking sharp in sparring during his training camp.

“That’s good,” Rios told Hustle Boss. “That means we got a fight going on. If he looks good and if he looks great against his sparring partners, that’s good. That means we got a fight going on.”

That being said, Rios warns Pacquiao – as well as the Filipino’s adviser, Michael Koncz – that he is far from being a sparring partner.

“There’s one thing I’ve got tell him and Michael – he’s the one who’s talking sh*t,” said Rios. “I ain’t no sparring partner. You can look great against sparring partners. But you’re not going to fight a sparring partner.”

“You’re fighting me. And I ain’t no sparring partner,” he declared.

Rios has also heard the comment of Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who said that he was only concerned about one man in the Rios camp – veteran trainer Eduardo Garcia, the father of Robert Garcia.

“He should be worried about him,” Rios agreed. “But not only him. He should be worried about me. Pacquiao is fighting me, and he’s not fighting no (expletive) joke.”

Rios said he knows that many critics believe h is a “pushover,” and that he will be a “tune-up fight” for Pacquiao.

“I ain’t nobody’s tune-up fight, and if Freddie Roach thinks that, he’s got something else coming to him,” Rios said. “I’m going to show the world. I don’t know what else to say. I’m going to show the world and I’m going to show Freddie Roach that I’m no tune-up fight.”

As he is fighting one of the best boxers in the world pound-for-pound, Rios knows he will need a good game plan and is confident that his trainer, Robert Garcia, can come up with the perfect tactic.

“Robert has a good game plan. His dad (Eduardo) has a great game plan. I’ve been following it in the gym and executing the game plan very well,” he said. “We’ll be ready.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com