MANILA, Philippines - Freddie Roach has guaranteed a knockout when Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios get to rumble at The Venetian Hotel in Macau on Nov. 24.
Roach said the styles of both fighters guarantee a great and entertaining fight that will keep the fans awake and up on their feet.
The celebrated trainer said Rios, a brawler, will come to fight against Pacquiao who needs an impressive win to prove everybody that he’s still up there.
Roach spoke to www.ringtv.com to share his thoughts on Pacquiao’s comeback fight following two consecutive losses to Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Never in his career has Pacquiao, who will be one month short of his 35th birthday when he takes on Rios in Macau, lost two in a row.
The fight takes place 11 months after Pacquiao was knocked out cold by Marquez at the MGM Grand. It’s the longest layoff in Pacquiao’s career.
“Manny doesn’t need to go in there with a runner who is just going to run away and Manny’s going to out-box him,†Roach told Lem Satterfield in a lengthy Q&A.
“So someone’s going to get knocked out in this fight, and I think that it’s going to be Rios,†he said.
Roach said Pacquiao isn’t finished yet despite those two losses in 2012, but once he sees any sign that he’s no longer what he used to be then he can pull the plug.
“Once I see him in the gym, and so forth, I’ll kind of analyze what he’s got and whether or not he’s lost anything, and if he has, then we’ll talk about it maybe being over,†said Roach.
Otherwise, they will move on, and moving on calls for a big and impressive win over Rios.
Roach said Pacquiao, win or lose, has never been in dull fight, and nothing’s going to change when he returns to the ring with his career on the line.
“I think that it’s a great matchup. It’s better than Mayweather-Guerrero. Mayweather put us to sleep the other night. Five guys that were watching with me fell asleep,†said Roach.