by David P. Greisman
Manny Pacquiao’s adviser says that he has been asked why Pacquiao will be facing a potentially tough opponent in Brandon Rios in a comeback fight that follows two consecutive defeats, including a stunning one-punch knockout loss this past December to Juan Manuel Marquez.
The answer, according to Michael Koncz, is “we’re not coming on a comeback fight,” he said at a Tuesday press conference. “I think the fight we had with Marquez … was the best performance Manny had in the past four or five fights. Unfortunately we got overaggressive.”
Pacquiao and Rios will meet in the main event of a Nov. 23 pay-per-view, a broadcast taking place in the gambling mecca of Macau, China.
“Brandon’s going to come,” Koncz said. “He’s going to be there and throw punches. Manny’s going to do the same thing. The fans are going to win. As long as the fight goes, it’s going to be a very entertaining and exciting fight.
Pacquiao, 34, is a former titleholder in eight divisions and a former lineal champion in four weight classes. He had a particularly rough 2012, dropping a controversial split decision to Timothy Bradley and then getting dropped into unconsciousness by Marquez. Those losses brought his record to 54-5-2 with 38 knockouts.
Rios, 27, is coming off a decision loss this past March in a rematch with Mike Alvarado. The former 135- and 140-pound titleholder is now 31-1-1 with 23 knockouts.
Pacquiao-Rios will be contested in the welterweight division.
David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com
