Rios style suits Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao thinks he made the right move in choosing Brandon Rios as his opponent on Nov. 24 at The Venetian in Macau.

The fighting congressman from Sarangani had other options for his comeback bid and yet he chose the 27-year-old Rios who is 31-1-0 with 23 knockouts.

Rios loves to brawl. That’s why Pacquiao chose him.

“Sabi niya mas exciting fight daw si Rios kasi pasok ng pasok (He said it’s a more exciting fight because Rios loves to come in),” Pacquiao’s business manager Erik Pineda told The STAR. 

Pacquiao’s adviser, Mike Koncz, earlier said Rios is made for Pacquiao.

“We looked at styles and Rios had a better style for Manny. He’ll come forward and throw a lot of punches. Whether it goes five or 12 rounds it will be entertaining for the fans,” he said. 

Pacquiao, who just got re-elected as congressman in the lone district of Sarangani, is in Manila. The other day he was at Midas Hotel for the Asian Continental Chess Championships.

Pacquiao dropped by the playing venue the other day after missing Saturday’s opening matches. He had a friendly game with Filipino GM Eugene Torre which ended in a draw.

Torre said it was all chess on the table, and Pacquiao didn’t mention his coming fight with Rios. 

A television crew tried to get a reaction from Pacquiao on why he chose Rios over Mike Alvarado but the flamboyant boxer shied away.

All Pacquiao said was that he would soon begin light training for his first fight since he was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez last December. 

Pacquiao wanted a rematch with Marquez or with Timothy Bradley, who beat him last June, but both fighters rejected lucrative offers from the Filipino and decided to face each other in September.