In the middle of the press tour for the Nov. 23 clash between himself and Brandon Rios, Manny Pacquiao is not only looking to reestablish himself as one of the game?s best, but also trying to answer questions about himself.
Pacquiao is taking on Rios in Macau, China and the two made a stop in Beijing on Monday morning.
?I am very excited to be fighting in Macau. It?s a fertile market for boxing,? said Pacquiao. ?New market and new people provide great exposure for boxing and it is a great way to increase the sport?s popularity globally. Hopefully this will help develop interest in boxing in mainland China. I think it?s good for boxing to have more good Asian boxers to turn pro. I think Macau can be a boxing capital of the world.?
?It will be nice to fight in a location where I will not have any jet lag. Macau and the Philippines share the same time zone and the same climate. No adjustments for me this time. Since Macau is only a 90-minute flight away from the Philippines, I expect a lot more Filipinos to be in the arena for this fight. ?
Fighting for the first time since his knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao is still confident that his skills and experience will lead him to a win in November.
?I have seen Rios fight and I am confident that I will win the fight. One of my advantages is my experience against better opposition. I think the question that needs to be asked is, ?Is Rios ready for me?? declared Pacquiao.
?Rios is an aggressive fighter. He likes to fight on the inside and toe-to-toe. He likes to fight, period. I am 100% confident of winning this fight. The fans will really enjoy the action.?
Going into his 2012 campaign, it seemed almost unfathomable that Pacquiao could lose, unless the opponent on the other side of the ring was named Floyd Mayweather Jr. Pacquiao had not lost a fight in six years, since a decision loss to Erik Morales in 2005; a result that ended up forcing Freddie Roach to teach Pacquiao some new tricks that ultimately rejuvenated and reinvented his career.
According to Pacquiao, he will be training for three months, beginning in August, after he returns to the Philippines. He will do six weeks of conditioning and then another six weeks of general training with Roach when he arrives in October.
Marquez catches Pacquiao coming in with a left jab
?I?m 34 and I now need to train over a longer period. The focus of this camp will be on speed and footwork, which have been my advantages in previous successful fights. I?ll be more careful to avoid the careless error I made against M?rquez,? said Pacquiao.
Despite a knockdown early in the fight, it appeared Pacquiao was in control of the action, and had stunned Marquez on a few occasions, before getting careless and then caught with a perfect counter right hand that sent him crashing to the canvas.
?I was in my best shape when I fought M?rquez last December. I was winning the fight. I had taken control. But I got careless and made a mistake, being in the wrong place for him to land that final punch. But that?s boxing. That?s what makes it so exciting.?
Mistakes do happen, and it happens to nearly everyone, but Pacquiao, who previously stated he plans on fighting for a few more years, it hoping to prove to himself that he can still bring it in the ring.
?I need to prove I still can fight like the old Manny Pacquiao. I need to restore the public?s confidence in me and my abilities. It?s important that this be an impressive victory. I have already begun to visualize my fight with Rios,? said Pacquiao.
