Manny Pacquiao is still a dangerous fighter even after the humiliating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, says former lightweight champion Roberto Duran who like Pacquiao suffered an embarrassing knockout loss but rebounded well after the debacle.
Duran expects Pacquiao to come out big in his return fight against American-Mexican Brandon Rios, adding that the Filipino star will be hungry to redeem himself after two consecutive losses.
"Yeah, Manny Pacquiao's a well-known star, but the stars are in the sky, and on Earth everybody is an equal. But he's not finished by any means," Duran said according to The Ring TV.
Duran warned Rios to be careful against Pacquiao as the latter will be hungry for redemption. "Sure, he's embarrassed because of the Marquez loss, and because it happened in front of millions of people, and he feels that he needs to redeem himself."
Duran is one of the greatest boxers of all time who suffered a stunning second round knockout to American Thomas "Hitman" Hearns in 1984. The knockout was similar to the way Pacquiao fell against Marquez, as Duran dropped face-first to the canvas. Unlike Pacquiao, however, Duran attempted to rise up albeit unsuccessfully.
But rather than signal the end of his career, the knockout loss triggered Duran's resurrection as he won eight of his next nine fights with three knockouts. He ultimately won the middleweight title in 1989 with a victory over Iran Barkley.
"I was knocked out ... but I was able to come back and win the title, so by no means can you count out Manny Pacquiao. He's still very, very dangerous, so Brandon Rios will need to be very, very careful. I just give Brandon Rios the advice to go in and attack and to not hesitate, because he can win if he just fights intelligently," Duran told the said website.
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