MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES (June 27, 2006) — Superstar MANNY “PAC MAN” PACQUIAO is ready to serve former world champion and current No. 1 contender OSCAR “CHOLOLO” LARIOS a most powerful tropical punch when they meet This Saturday! in their 12-round super featherweight Pay-Per-View championship fight — “The Filipino KOlada!”
“The key ingredient is ‘Manila Ice!” said über trainer and Hollywood fashionplate FREDDIE ROACH alluding to the secret weapon that Manny used when he became the first man to ever knock out three-division world champion Erik Morales earlier this year “We all know Manny is the straw that stirs the drink, and this Saturday night, with this new powerful KOcktail we devised in training, it will be Larios who is shaken not stirred.”
Pacquiao, 41-3-2 (32 KOs), from General Santos City, The Philippines, a world champion in three different divisions had a few thoughts too.
“Larios is a major roadblock to my rematches against Morales and Barrera,” said Pacquiao. “And to smooth out my road to those fights I’m going to steamroll Larios. I’m going to knock him out so hard fans watching on pay-per-view will think Larios is going to come through their TV screens!”
Larios, 56-4-1 (36 KOs), who held the WBC super bantamweight title from 2002-2005, told Team Pacquiao he’s been served worse by better.
“Manila Ice and Filipino KOladas, are these guys for real?” responded Larios. “I’ve been training for over a month in Japan getting acclimated to the time and the environment while Manny has been globetrotting playing movie star and Mr. Nightlife. I think Manny and Freddie have been drinking in too much of their own publicity. If you want to see a preview of our fight just watch a replay of the first Lennox Lewis-Hasim Rahman fight. I can assure you I’ll be playing the role of Rahman in Saturday night’s remake. Manny Pacquiao will pay the ultimate price for not taking me or this fight seriously.”
Pacquiao and Larios go “Mano-A-Mano” This Saturday in a 12-round championship bout in the historic Araneta Coliseum, which hosted Ali-Frazier III – “The Thrilla in Manila” — nearly 31 years ago. Pacquiao will be defending his WBC International super featherweight title and mandatory challenger position (for WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera) against former world champion and current No. 1 contender Larios in the main event of a card which will be televised Live on Pay-Per-View (on DirecTV and all major cable systems) in the United States, beginning at 9 P.M. ET / 6 P.M. PT from The Philippines.