Freddie Roach Interview Transcript from Pacquiao’s Training Camp

roach1Good morning America and good evening to World-Famous Freddie Roach because it is 11 PM in General Santos City in the Philippines. It is very gracious of him to join us – he has a 4:30 AM run with Manny Thursday morning.

We are just 10 days from Macau – Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios in a 12-round welterweight battle which will be headlining a live five-bout pay-per-view card on November 23 beginning at 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT. Also joining us on the call is Hall of Fame Promoter Bob Arum who is in Las Vegas.

BOB AUM: I just got up, but listen, I’m in better shape than Freddie because he is ready to go to bed – he has to get up early in the morning. So I am not going to waste any time – I’ll give it back to you.

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Brandon Rios Lands in Macau. “Victory Will Be Mine!”

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Former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS and his team, headed up by Trainer of the Year Robert Garcia, arrived at The Venetian Macao® earlier today with one mission on their minds — BEAT MANNY PACQUIAO!

“I’m in China baby!” exclaimed Rios as he was greeted at the resort’s VIP Entrance. “I worked hard in camp, have a great team, Robert Garcia will be in my corner on the night of my fight. I’m totally prepared and I will win.”

Rios (31-1-1, 22 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., will train daily at The Venetian Macao’s gym beginning Thursday morning.

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12 Days Until Pacquiao vs. Rios – Live on PPV – Saturday, Nov. 23

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NEW YORK (November 11, 2013) — If Horace Greeley were a boxing promoter today he would undoubtedly be espousing, “Go East, young man.” And in boxing’s biggest demonstration of Manifist Destiny, Fighter of the Decade Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO and former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS will battle each other in a 12-round welterweight rumble, Saturday, November 23, from The Venetian® Macao’s CotaiArena™, in Macao, China. Promoted by Top Rank® and Sands China Ltd., in association with MP Promotions, Tecate, Warner Bros. Pictures “Grudge Match” and Eva Airlines, Pacquiao vs. Rios will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT.

Remaining tickets, priced from $1,275 to $115, and various ticket-hotel packages at Sands China’s Cotai Strip Resorts Macao, are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.venetianmacao.com/manny. U.S.-based fans may also order via a special toll-free number: 1-855-234-4410.

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Roach: “Mayweather is in the Same Position Pacquiao Is”

roach45While I was sure that Mayweather Jr. vs. Pacquiao was nothing but a fantasy at this point in time, it seems as though Freddie Roach hasn’t yet let go of the possibility of the fight happening in the near future:

“Every big fight that was supposed to happen in boxing happens somewhere along the way, I just hope this one isn’t going to happen too late when they’re both washed up and not the same. I still have hope. Mayweather is in the same position (Pacquiao) is. You’ve only got eight fighters in the world that can sell pay-per-view and make money. That’s why I give it a shot,” stated Roach.

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Arum says Pacquiao may be finished if he loses to Rios

pac6766 (2)The significance of Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO’s) this month may be a lot more than what many people think it is, because Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum believes that it might be all over for the Filipino if he gets beaten by the 27-year-old Rios on November 23rd in their fight at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.

Arum said via Philstar “This is a very important fight for him [Pacquiao] to win. It will certainly hurt him if he loses this fight. It may signify the end. it will be very devastating for him.”

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Left-Hook Lounge: How Good is “GGG”?, Is Rios “Afraid” of Pacquiao?, & is Mike Perez a Heavyweight Threat?

perez784H. Barlow (Dallas, TX): Count me to the list of supporters behind GGG! I think the guy is amazing and I don’t see anyone at 160 or 168 who can stop him. Who do you think would give him the “most” trouble between 154 and 168?

Vivek W. (ESB): Before I get into GGG’s performance, I’d like to start by saying great effort by Curtis Stevens. I thought Stevens performed very well, although he hindered himself by only pressing in spurts. Easy to say from my living room couch, but the reality is that when he did move more and let his hands go, I thought he made the fight very interesting. He couldn’t sustain that effort, and most of that has to be credited to GGG. When you analyze GGG closer, you have to give him great absolute credit. One of the things that gave Curtis Stevens a problem all night was Golovkin’s ability to cut off the ring.

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Brandon Rios Media Workout Quotes

Manny Pacquiao vs Brandon Rios Presser OXNARD, CALIF (October 31, 2013) — Former world champion BRANDON “Bam Bam” RIOS (31-1-1, 22 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., and reigning Trainer of the Year ROBERT GARCIA hosted their only U.S. Media Workout today at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard.

KEVIN HART, who stars as a savvy boxing promoter in the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures movie “Grudge Match,” was also in attendance.

Rios is in deep training for his eagerly-anticipated welterweight collision with Fighter of the Decade, Congressman MANNY “Pacman” PACQUIAO (54-5-2, 38 KOs). Rios departs for Macau on November 11 to acclimate to the environment.

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Brandon Rios: “We Know He Can’t Take a Good Punch”

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When Brandon Rios and Manny Pacquiao signed their respecting contracts to face each other, the boxing community wasn’t sure whether this fight should count as a legitimate comeback for Manny Pacquiao. Brandon Rios is no Marquez after all. Boxing forums were buzzing with people’s dislike of this fight, calling it anything from a waste of time, to nothing more but a sparring session for Pacman.

Nonetheless, slowly but surely the boxing fans and the media cooled their jets, and began to get progressively interested in the outcome. Brandon Rios is a good, strong, young, and hungry for respect fighter, and we have seen him take a punch. With the fight getting closer, there is talk that it is not all that crazy, to think that Rios will end Pacquiao’s career come November 23, 2013.

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If Successful Against Rios, Pacquiao Might Become Mayweather’s Worst Nightmare

pac6The Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios bout is fast-approaching, and boxing fans have focused their crosshairs on the topic at hand. While this fight is starting to gain more momentum in a snowball effect type of fashion, still there is much talk of the improbable bout between Mayweather Jr. vs. Bernard Hopkins.

It seems as though a shot at Mayweather Jr. is the only way to succeed in boxing, and every fighter that can see and feel the throne is aggressively attempting at securing that high profile fight.

Bernard Hopkins had suggested that he is the only one with enough ring experience and ring I.Q. to beat Mayweather Jr. His old school boxing knowledge would supposedly provide enough tricks and narrow down the learning curve to where Hopkins would be able to adjust and effectively deal with Floyd’s style.

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BoxNation lands Pacquiao vs. Rios

pac31LONDON (29 Oct) – Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring against the unyielding Brandon Rios on November 23rd will be brought to UK fight fans live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch.437/Virgin Ch.546).

The eagerly anticipated matchup which sees Pacquiao make his first return to the ring since his devastating knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez will pit him against one of boxing’s most relentless warriors in the shape of Rios, in a bout certain to produce fireworks.

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