Pacquiao, Rios make weight, ready for war

MACAU – Brushing off any concerns about weight, Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios checked in below the maximum weight allowed, looking comfortable one day before their highly anticipated clash at the CotaiArena of the luxurious Venetian Macao Resort here.

A confident Rios, first to come up on stage during the official weigh-in ceremony Saturday, was met with boos from the heavily pro-Pacquiao crowd. The Mexican-American banger, vowing to be in his best shape ever, tipped the scales at 146.5 lbs – half a pound below the welterweight limit of 147 lbs.

Pacquiao, for his part, registered a weight of 145 lbs, which came as no surprise since the Filipino is used to weighing in less than the maximum allowed in his previous fights.

The fighting congressman, wearing his traditional blue jacket with matching jogging pants, likewise appeared comfortable, smiling back and waving to the packed crowd who responded with the usual chant of “Manny! Manny!”

But Rios was not to be outdone, countering the jeers from the partisan crowd by motioning to his ear, eliciting louder boos. The fighter from Oxnard, California then brashly made a hand gesture on his waist, signifying his confidence in emerging the victor in Sunday’s bout.

In the traditional face-off, Rios’ height advantage was obvious. The heavy-handed pressure fighter is listed at 5-foot-9, three inches taller than the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao.

At a platform at the side of the main stage, the crew of fight broadcaster HBO – composed of the ageless Larry Merchant, renowned blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley and former light heavyweight champion Roy Jones – did their usual pre-fight analyses.

Jones, once the sport’s pound-for-pound king, gamely posed for pictures as the crowd called him. He, along with all the fans and media members who gathered for the ceremony, could also hardly wait for the showdown.

The Pacquiao-Rios fight is for the WBO International welterweight title.