MACAU – Everyone was so hyped with Manny Pacquiao’s return to winner’s circle in dominant fashion, except maybe for a couple of names.
One of them is Juan Manuel Marquez, who dealt Pacquiao the biggest loss of his career – via a stunning sixth round knockout last December.
The 40-year-old Mexican rival of Pacquiao was left unimpressed.
Marquez insinuated in an interview with boxingscene.com’s Salvador Rodriguez that Brandon Rios is a tailor-made for Pacquiao’s comeback fight.
"It was important for Manny Pacquiao to look good, so they gave him an opponent like Brandon Rios for his return and he looked impressive. I believe that Bob Arum is doing his job in getting him these types of opponents, but it will be important to see him face tougher competition and see how he looks against those kind of fighters after suffering that knockout," Marquez told boxingscene.com.
The former four-division champion felt that Rios is not in their caliber and did not stand a chance to win against a speedy fighter like Pacquiao.
"He never gave Brandon Rios the opportunity to connect with a solid punch , so we didn't get to see how Manny Pacquiao [would react] after that knockout," said Marquez.
The Mexican, who lost a split decision to another Pacquiao conqueror Timothy Bradley last October, said that the acid test for Pacquiao is to fight someone like him.
"When Manny Pacquiao fights someone with speed and intelligence, someone who counters – Manny does not know what to do or what to expect. Brandon RÃos lacks speed and intelligence inside the ring. He is a fighter who just moves forward and punches. And if you do not bring speed with you, you are going to lose against him,†Marquez added.
While Marquez is goading Pacquiao to fight someone of his caliber, he does not want anything to be part of Pacquiao’s comeback trail in the immediate future.
Instead, he is setting his sights on a possible rematch with Bradley on April 12, the same date that Arum has in mind for Pacquiao’s next fight.
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(Editor’s note: This special coverage of the Pacquiao-Rios fight here in Macau is made possible by Cebu Pacific Air, why every Juan flies.)