CEBU, Philippines - Filipino ring superstar Manny Pacquiao gamely admitted that he was so careless in his previous fight against Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez, but the eight-division world champion vowed he won't make the same mistake when he faces Brandon Rios in a welterweight showdown on November 24 at the Cotai Arena of the luxurious Venetian Hotel and Resort in Macau, China.
In a rush to score an early stoppage, Pacquiao found himself at the end of a deadly trap resulting into a devastating sixth round knockout loss to Marquez in their fourth match on November 14 last year in Las Vegas.
Learning a lesson or two from that stunning setback, Pacquiao assured his fans he will be prudent enough in dealing with Rios this time.
"I never go looking for the knockout, but you can be sure after getting careless with Juan Manuel Marquez, I won't be setting myself up for getting knocked out. With age comes maturity and with maturity comes patience. I will not rush in looking to knock Rios out, but rest assured if opportunity presents itself I will go for it," said Pacquiao in a report by boxingscene.com.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, is excited to showcase his punching skills in Macau, even as he also hopes that more good Asian boxers will turn pro.
"This was an exciting opportunity to be a part of the biggest boxing event in a blossoming boxing market. I love meeting new people and this is a big chance for the sport of professional boxing to develop interest in it to one of the biggest untapped markets in the world. It's great for the sport and it gives me a chance to fight near my country where they don't have to spend a lot on travel to see me in action," said Pacquiao in the same internet report.
With regards to his preparations, the fighting congressman from Sarangani Province said he is going through the longest training camp he has ever been.
"This has been an excellent training camp. The first six weeks were spent on conditioning and now I am sparring three days a week. It's great to have Master Freddie (Roach) back in camp with me. This will be my longest training camp. I feel so fresh having taken 10 months off. I have never done that before. My legs have an extra bounce to them and I feel so strong and fast," said Pacquiao. "Freddie has studied a lot of film of Rios' fights and has developed a very special plan for fighting him."
When asked if he's ready for Rios, Pacquiao answered back: "The question isn't "Am I ready for Rios?" It's "Is Rios ready for me?" (FREEMAN)