Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley facing off in June of 2012 (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
Due to the contrasting styles of each man, as well as the added theatrics that have taken place outside of the ring this week, the Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios matchup has taken over boxing’s center stage.
Set to face off with one another on Saturday night in Macau, China on HBO pay per view, Pacquiao and Rios will both be looking to bounce back from recent setbacks in a scene that will surely create serious drama and suspsense.
WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley, who defeated Pacquiao via split-decision in June of last year, showed great affinity towards the matchup during our conversation on Thursday afternoon inside of the Palazzo Resort in Las Vegas.
“Interesting fight,” Bradley stated. “Fan-friendly fight. All the fans around the world should definitely be watching this fight. A lot of fans, they complain about running; there’s not going to be any running in this fight. It’s going to be fireworks in this fight.”
When I spoke with Bradley about the fight in August, he claimed that Pacquiao would likely be able to do serious damage on Rios if he had fully recovered from his knockout loss to Marquez this past December.
Three months later and Bradley would take a moment to assess Rios’ best options in the face of what many are calling an uphill battle.
“Rios, he’s going to have to drop feints, stay low, close the gap, stay close to Manny Pacquiao,” Bradley explained. “Make Manny Pacquiao retreat, keep his hands high on the ropes, work him to the body and then either tie him up or stay low and get out the way. Pacquiao will be returning shots. He’ll let you hit him, but he’ll be returning shots.
“And don’t stay flat footed,” said Bradley. “Rios has a tendency to stay straight in front of you and walk you down and throw big shots. He shouldn’t do that. He should be moving around. Attacking from angles. Don’t be stationary. Constantly moving that head. Making hard for Pacquiao to time him. He’ll have a good chance at doing that. If he doesn’t, I think he loses the fight.”
Freddie Roach opens up on the confrontation with Team Rios, his racist comments, and the aftermath
PLEASE CHECK BELOW for the full interview with Tim Bradley as well as more exclusive Pacquiao-Bradley updates…
Tim Bradley talks Pacquiao vs. Rios: ‘Freddie Roach always plays mental games’
Roy Jones Jr. – ‘Pacquiao is clearly the better boxer; Rios is clearly the better brawler’
Marco Antonio Barrera believes that Manny Pacquiao’s movement will be key against Rios
Freddie Roach sees flaws in Floyd Mayweather’s game and hopes Pacquiao can one day face him
Mike Alvarado: ‘I’ve got Pacquiao in a later stoppage against Rios’
Floyd Mayweather Sr. reacts to the brawl between Freddie Roach and Alex Ariza
Freddie Roach opens up on the confrontation with Team Rios, his racist comments, and the aftermath
Near brawl in Macau as Freddie Roach confronts Team Rios and gets kicked by Alex Ariza
Manny Pacquiao showing off his speed and power in Macau ahead of showdown with Rios
Manny Pacquiao full core workout in Macau, China days before clash with Brandon Rios
Manny Pacquiao opens up on his training for Rios, Brandon’s power, the Typhoon in the Philippines, and more
Freddie Roach calls Brandon Rios a ‘pretender’ and eyes Floyd Mayweather for Manny Pacquiao
Shawn Porter feels the old Manny Pacquiao will return against Brandon Rios
Brandon Rios believes that his pressure will negate Manny Pacquiao’s speed
Miguel Diaz says Pacquiao’s knockout loss to Marquez ‘means nothing’; favors him over Rios
Juan Manuel Marquez favors Pacquiao over Brandon Rios but shoots down a fifth fight with Manny
Brandon Rios says people in China don’t like Manny Pacquiao
Gennady Golovkin feels Brandon Rios could suffer the same fate as Margarito did against Pacquiao
Robert Garcia opens up on Alex Ariza joining Team Rios; insists he won’t take any drama in camp
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com