Brandon Rios, the brawling 27-year-old challenger against Manny Pacquiao on November 23rd, is an underdog to many going into the bout. Rios, though, has plans on ending Pacquiao's career.
I gotta go in there, I gotta retire you. I gotta retire Manny Pacquiao, because I'm the next star," Rios said on HBO's Face Off. Rios went on to make bizarre claims about why he has chosen to box, and why he appears to relish violent slugfests. "For me, boxing's better than sex; that's my orgasm."
Rios is talking a big game, but Pacman seems confident heading into the Macau, China clash. He's even set up a date to fight again in April, and quelled any sort of retirement talk even if he falls to Rios.
"I feel comfortable and confident about going on to win this fight, but I am not looking to retire if I lose this fight," Pacquiao said. The Filipino fighter also has designs of ending Rios' night with a knockout, so he can propel himself back onto boxing's highest stage, and perhaps even force Mayweather's hand into finally fighting him.
My gameplan for Rios will be similar to the one I had for Ricky Hatton," Pacquiao said to BoxingScene.com. He floored Hatton in less than two full rounds when they met. "That fight didn't go long enough for me to unveil everything. Maybe this time I'll be able to show more of that plan. Maybe."
Trainer Freddie Roach is also confident of a Pacquiao KO win, telling media, "Manny will be doing me a big favor by knocking this guy out."
If he advances past Rios, could a fight with Timothy Bradley or sudden star Ruslan Provodnikov be next? Pacquiao and Provodnikov share Roach as a trainer, so that bout is likely a last resort. However, Bradley's decision victory over Pacman in 2012 caused an uproar so that fight could be a big-money tilt.
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