Body shots will kill Rios – Roach

MACAU – It’s no secret what Manny Pacquiao intends to do to Brandon Rios when they battle in a 12-round bout for the vacant WBO International welterweight title at the Cotai Arena in the Venetian Resort Hotel here this morning.

Pacquiao said he will go for the body, which is supposed to be Rios’ weak spot. Trainer Freddie Roach and chief second Buboy Fernandez seconded the motion.

“Body shots will kill Rios,” said Roach shortly after BamBam tipped the scales at 146 1/2 pounds during the weigh-in yesterday morning. “If he’s drained and it looked like he is, he will be slower and easier to hit. He’s weak in the body.”

Fernandez echoed the sentiment. “Manny won’t give him a chance,” Pacquiao’s boyhood pal said. “He’s going to attack right in the first round and he will go to the body.”

Fernandez said he does not expect Rios to change his come-forward style. “It’s the only way he knows how to fight,” said Fernandez. “He does not know how to run or box. If he tries to run, Manny will catch him. What Rios does is he comes in with his hands up, he does not punch charging in so he will be an easy target. Then, his first punch out is a left hook to the body, not a jab, so all Manny has to do is to block the left with his right arm and counter with a left hook to the head or body. When Manny hits him solid, it’s over.”

Pacquiao’s Argentinian cutman Miguel Diaz said Rios looked gaunt at the weigh-in, noting his sunken cheekbones. “I think he had difficulty making weight,” he said. “So he had to cut down and it showed in his face. He looked dehydrated. No wonder right after the weigh-in, I saw him gulp down two bottles of what was probably electrolytes. The way I see it, he will bloat to as much as 164 pounds for the fight, 160 at the minimum. That will slow him down.”

It will be Rios’ debut as a welterweight and he was not supposed to find it hard to make the 147-pound limit. In recent lightweight fights against John Murray and Richard Abril, Rios failed to scale within the limit and fought overweight. It’s a bad habit that’s tough to break. Roach said it’s an indication of lack of discipline in training. From the first day Roach saw Rios here, he noticed the fighter always wore a sauna suit.

But Rios’ trainer Robert Garcia swore weight was no problem. “In the past, Brandon would gorge on hamburgers, fries, sodas and vanilla shakes but not this time,” he said. “He ate healthy. He made weight on his first try. We like his weight. He won’t put on too many pounds for the fight. All he needs now is rest until the fight starts.”

Fernandez said Pacquiao will enter the ring probably at 148 or 149 max after weighing in at 145. As for Rios, he estimated BamBam will fight at 152 to 154. Diaz’s speculation is a lot more. However, both Fernandez and Diaz agreed the added weight will slow Rios down.

Rios denied that he had weight problems. “I’m fine,” he said. “I’m sharp, alert. I’m in excellent shape. I don’t care if there are a lot of Filipinos in the crowd. I’m fighting against Pacquiao, not the fans. My focus is to beat the guy and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m out to prove I’m the better guy.”

Roach said Pacquiao’s weight is right where he wanted it to be. “That’s exactly what we wanted Manny to weigh, 145,” he said. “He’s quick at that weight and the way he was hitting in training, the power is intact. We worked a lot on his speed in the gym and how to attack Rios. This fight won’t take long to finish.”

Diaz, 75, has been a trainer and cutman since 1974. A Hall of Famer, the Argentinian cult figure along cauliflower row has trained over 10 world champions and worked with over 30 world titleholders. He was Floyd Mayweather’s cutman in Money’s first 17 fights as a pro.

It’s Diaz’s third trip to this former Portuguese colony. “I used to train Zou Shiming,” he said. “But it did not make sense for him to train in Las Vegas where I live. We had difficulty bringing in sparmates for him so I endorsed him to Freddie who took over and brought him to LA where the sparring is much better for guys his weight. I’m actually getting too old to do all that training.”

Roach’s Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio said of the 12 fights in this morning’s card, he will in the corner of four. “I might sub for Miguel in some fights as a cutman so he can focus on Manny,” said Somodio.

Curiously, two Pacquiao sparring partners are slugging it out in a four-round superwelterweight bout – Pampanga’s Dan Nazareno and Liverpool’s Liam Vaughan.

Roach, Diaz and Somodio will be in Vaughan’s corner while Dodie Boy and Jonathan Peñalosa and Philip Louis Garduque will be in the opposite corner with Nazareno.

1996 Atlanta Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco, who’s in town to support Pacquiao, said the fight won’t go over eight rounds. “Manny’s too quick and too strong for Rios,” he said. “The limit is eight rounds and I think Manny will finish it in six. I was not with Manny when he trained in General Santos City. Since Macau’s not far away, I decided to come over and support Manny.”