Thought Rios did better in the early rounds than people are giving him credit for. Don't think Roy was wrong when he said Manny looked uncomfortable at times and Manny himself said he was hurt in that fifth round.
Rios just needed Manny to be a lot more faded than he was. Manny wasn't the dynamo that fought Cotto or Hatton but he was still moving well enough to keep turning Rios and to not get trapped in positions where Brandon could tee off on him
By the time the fight hit the middle rounds, Rios was finding it harder and harder to cut the distance. And on top of that he'd felt enough of Manny's power to know he couldn't just wade in and let his hands go. In a way, it mirrored what happens in a lot of Floyd's fights. The opponent stops letting his hands go because he knows how low his chances are of landing, and he knows he'll pay a price when he misses.
The basic toolkit has to be there for guys to compete with Floyd or Manny. Rios just didn't have the tools, and there was jack**** he could do about it.
Rios just needed Manny to be a lot more faded than he was. Manny wasn't the dynamo that fought Cotto or Hatton but he was still moving well enough to keep turning Rios and to not get trapped in positions where Brandon could tee off on him
By the time the fight hit the middle rounds, Rios was finding it harder and harder to cut the distance. And on top of that he'd felt enough of Manny's power to know he couldn't just wade in and let his hands go. In a way, it mirrored what happens in a lot of Floyd's fights. The opponent stops letting his hands go because he knows how low his chances are of landing, and he knows he'll pay a price when he misses.
The basic toolkit has to be there for guys to compete with Floyd or Manny. Rios just didn't have the tools, and there was jack**** he could do about it.
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