As Manny Pacquiao prepares to step back into the ring for the first time since getting knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez in December, his trainer Freddie Roach says if he is knocked out by Brandon Rios in their Nov. 23 bout in Macau, he will retire.
In an interview with Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole, Roach said, “It’s over, 100 percent (if Pacquiao is knocked out by Rios),” Roach said. “We have a deal. When I tell him it’s over, he’ll say it’s over and that’s it. He’s pretty loyal with his words and if that happens, it will be the end.”
With Rios’ go-for-broke style of fighting, it is almost guaranteed that a KO will take place on Nov. 23 and if that happens to be Pacquiao it will serve as his third-straight loss and the end of an era in boxing.
Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) is a young, hungry fighter coming off his March loss to Mike Alvarado in what is the fight of the year up to this point. If he is able to land a few power shots and get a KO, not only will he avenge his loss to Alvarado, he will serve as the one that ended one of the past decades’ best fighters career in the process.
It is no sure thing that Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) will be on the canvas as he as the power to knock Rios out as well, and with Rios’ Gung-ho style of fighting he can be caught with a power show as easily as he can land one.
Pacquiao’s career essentially being on the line adds some more hype to a bout that was receiving mixed reviews from media and fans alike. Now the interest in the bout should grow, making the Pacquiao-Rios showdown one of the most anticipated bouts of the year.
