Boxing Sunday
By Manny Pinol
There is a stark contrast between the camps of Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and his American challenger Brandon “Bambam” Rios.
While Pacquiao and his team have kept a mysterious silence and even closed training camp in General Santos City to the public, Rios has blabbered a lot and even hinted that the whole of China is behind him in his fight against the Greatest Boxer of this generation.
Yesterday, in a story posted by Chris Robinson for www.hustleboss.com, Rios suggested that the Chinese people do not like Pacquiao and that they want him to “kick his ass.”
“When I went China the first time it was awesome, just being in China,” Rios told Chris Robinson.
“I’ve never been to China before so I wanted to go. I’m not for sure, but I remember a Chinese guy telling me that they don’t like Pacquiao over there. Chinese don’t like the Philippines sometimes. I don’t know if it’s true or not,” he added.
“But a Chinese guy came up to me and said ‘I don’t like Pacquiao. I want you to kick his ass.’ He told me that. It was awesome,” Rios said.
Rios’ blabbering followed a series of inexplicable pronouncements highlighted by his almost childish declaration that boxing is better than sex.
Then, he followed that with a declaration that he will send Pacquiao to retirement so that the Filipino boxer could concentrate on his duties as Congressman of Saranggani Province.
I have been involved with boxing for a long time now and I deeply understand that prior to a big fight, there is the so-called media hyping.
This is the time when the protagonists whip up public appetite for the fight by issuing statements which would increase awareness and excitement.
But Rios’ actions and pronouncements have gone out of bounds.
The Mexican-American fighter who is seeing action outside of America for the first time is showing signs of a deeply scared boxer who is trying to cover up his fear by issuing bold statements.
Rios knows that a well-conditioned Pacquiao could maul him to a pulp just like what happened to the bigger Miguel Cotto, Antonio Margarito and even Oscar dela Hoya.
With two weeks to go before their duel in the Cotai Arena in Macau, Rios is feeling the fear creeping up his spine and he is trying to cover this up with bold pronouncements.
Kick Manny Pacquiao’s ass?
I believe it will be the other way around. Pacquiao, faster and stronger, will run circles around the slow-moving Rios.
Pacquiao, at the end of the fight, will teach Rios two important lessons in life: First, do not eat more than you could chew, and second, Respect your elders.
(Photo caption: A scared Rios talks a lot. Photo downloaded from www.hustleboss.com)
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