Manny Pacquiao is ready to get his career back on the winning track on Nov. 23 at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Macao against Brandon Rios, but even with that bout a few months out, Pacquiao still has his sights set on boxing ultimate prize: a showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Pacquiao, who is coming off two-straight losses is ready to mix it up with Rios, as he said he chose the former lightweight champ because he is aggressive and will bring the fight to him.
As he stated in the interview, Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) is tired of having to chase down his opponents, so choosing Rios is the perfect move in that respect for Pacquiao. Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) has been a part of a few fight of the year-style bouts and could have another one up his sleeve against Pac-Man.
This will depend hugely upon if Pacquiao’s chin can withstand a flush power shot from Rios. The other part to this is can Rios’ power translate to the 147-pound division as it is Rios’ first bout as a welterweight.
With the back-and-forth between Pacquiao and Mayweather over the past few weeks starting up again, if Pacquiao can put on a strong showing against Rios, the Pacquiao-Mayweather talk will undoubtedly heat up even more.
With Pacquiao all but inviting Mayweather to fight in his response to Mayweather calling Pacquaio a “has been”, fans may get excited that the bout they have been waiting for over the past several years may take place. But as long as Top Rank and Golden Boy are in their bitter war, don’t expect the bout to go down anytime soon…but never say never.
First things first, Pacquaio must show the fans the world over that he still can fight at a world-class level by beating Rios on Nov. 23, then bigger things in the ring for Pacquiao can really be discussed.
