Brandon Rios: record, next fight and profile →
Hall of famer Freddie Roach, trainer of eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, discusses his fighter's victory over Brandon Rios in the main event of an HBO Pay-Per-View in Macau, what he wants Pacquiao to do next, the possibility of facing WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and more.
Robert Garcia, trainer of former champion Brandon Rios, discusses his fighter's twelve round unanimous decision loss to eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao, which headlined an HBO Pay-Per-View event from Macau, China.
Manny Pacquiao beat Brandon Rios on points in Macau on Sunday and answered all of the questions, but one, about his immediate future. Pacquiao won the bout 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110 and collected the WBO international welterweight belt. The former eight-division champion dominated the bout from the opening seconds until the end. He improved his record to 55-5-2, with 38 wins inside the distance, while Rios' record dropped to 31-2-1, with 23 knockouts.
Former champion Brandon Rios sits down for a satellite interview and answers select questions regarding Saturday's welterweight showdown with eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao in Macau, China. Pacquiao returns after back to back defeats to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, while Rios is coming off a close twelve round decision loss to Mike Alvarado.
Freddie Roach admires Manny Pacquiao for many reasons, but he has been especially impressed with how the Filipino legend dealt with getting knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao’s trainer knows all too well how getting knocked out can adversely affect a boxer’s career. Roach recalled that his first knockout defeat, a second-round technical knockout loss to Lenny Valdez in July 1982, did irreparable damage to his career.
Both Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios throw and land well above the weight class averages for total punches and power punches. 73% of Rios' thrown punches are power shots and 61% of Pacquiao's are power shots. Rios landed 21 power shots per round, Manny 20 per round - #2 and #3 behind Leo Santa Cruz, who landed 29 per round against much softer opposition than Pacquiao and Rios. Rios' opponents landed 41% of their power shots. Pacquiao's opponents landed 33% of their power shots.
Brandon Rios hasn’t won a fight in more than a year. It’s been more than two years since Manny Pacquiao’s arm was raised in victory. Yet there remains a genuine interest in their pay-per-view headliner, which takes place Saturday evening at the Cotai Arena in Macau (Sunday morning local time). The scheduled 12-round welterweight clash has made the headlines for the right – and wrong – reasons over the course of the past couple of weeks. Fight Week festivities saw both camps at their worst, but both fighters have managed to rise above the ridiculousness and exude a level of class befitting of such a worldwide event.
CompuBox is expecting an ocean of power punches later tonight, when eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao steps in the ring, after back to back defeats, to take on former champion Brandon Rios in Macau, China. Both of these fighters throw a lot of power punches, with Rios being the busier of the two but this will be his first fight at 147-pounds.
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.
Eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao is ready to get right back in the mix with the world's best fighters when he takes on former beltholder Brandon Rios on Saturday night in Macau, China. Pacquiao, coming off back to back defeats, has a lot at stake, including his career, and can't afford a third career defeat in a row. Pacquiao sits down for a satellite interview to discuss the fight.