Roach says Pacquiao opponent Rios ‘just a tough guy’
Freddie Roach is busy preparing his star student Manny Pacquiao for his upcoming fight in Macau. After falling short in their last two fights, Roach knows that Pacquiao needs a big win to announce that he is still one of the best fighters in the world. The American coach is confident that Pacquiao’s losing skid will stop at two.
“The more I see of [Brandon] Rios in the tapes the better I feel,” Roach said confidently during a conference call arranged by Top Rank Promotions. “He’s just a tough guy and tough guys don’t win fights. Manny can outbox him and he can do it with ease.”
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In his past two fights against Mike Alvarado, Rios displayed the toughness Roach was talking about. Rios and Alvarado fought at a blistering pace in their first fight back in October 2012. In that match, Rios took a lot of punishment but he kept going until he finally knocked out Alvarado in the seventh round.
If the first fight showed his toughness, the second Rios-Alvarado tiff showed his limitations as a boxer. Alvarado employed a game plan that involved more boxing and less brawling. Rios, who was expecting another war, lost via unanimous decision, as he was unable to change his strategy.
“The first fight obviously Rios looked great and he stopped Alvarado. In the second fight he got outboxed and I told Manny, ‘That’s how you beat this guy, you outbox him. You don’t trade with this guy. You just weave in and out and the fight will be easy.’ We have the game plan down perfectly. I know he is a tough guy but tough guys don’t win fights. Good boxers win fights.”
During the conference call, Roach also talked about Pacquiao wanting to help out in the relief efforts for the victims of Yolanda. “He is focused on the fight still but obviously it is a big distraction because it killed all of those people. We do talk about it in the gym – about how many people got killed in the storm and how many more have been affected. He is concerned about it yes, very much, but I think we have him pretty much on track on the fight. He knows it’s a big fight and he knows it’s a must-win situation,” Roach said.
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In his last match, Pacquiao was on the verge of winning until he ran into a perfect right hand from Juan Manuel Marquez. However, Roach said that the fighter has already put the knockout loss behind him.
“He realizes that if you aren’t able to handle the knockout you picked the wrong sport, Roach said. “He is totally recovered and is brave as ever in the ring.”
When fight day in Macau arrives, Manny Pacquiao will once again be a source of inspiration for many Filipinos. His bravery in facing Rios could inspire bravery among the victims and bravery for those who want to help.
“It’s bigger than just a fight because he has to win for the country also, not just his boxing career, he knows he has to win for the people and he told me that yesterday. They [the victims of Yolanda and Pacquiao] seem to be inspiring each other.”
“I think Manny is going to outbox Rios and knock him out inside six rounds.”
