Boxing greats pick Pacquiao over Rios

MANILA, Philippines – Several boxing legends recently shared their thoughts on Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming fight with Brandon Rios on Sunday at the Cotai Arena of the Venetian Resort in Macau.

They were unanimous in predicting a Pacquiao victory.

In an effort to further hype the Pacquiao-Rios fight, Top Rank Inc. hosted a conference call on Sunday featuring legendary fighters Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, George Foreman and former Pacquiao foe Marco Antonio Barrera, all of whom gave their thoughts on the bout.

Another former Pacquiao opponent, Timothy Bradley, was on hand during the call, saying he thinks the Filipino – a heavy favorite – will stop Rios in eight rounds.

But it was Foreman’s prediction that stood out from the rest.

The former heavyweight champion, known for his remarkable punching power, thinks Pacquiao will benefit from fighting close to home.

”I think it’s going to be a 12-round decision and I give Pacquiao the hometown decision. How about a home-region decision,” he stated.

Leonard, whose fights with Duran are among the best of their era, likewise forecast a Pacquiao victory simply because of his higher skill level.

“I think Pacquiao will win although I give Rios a shot, a big shot. It’s not going to be an easy fight. I’m picking Manny because he is Manny Pacquiao,” Leonard said.

Duran went on to talk about Rios’ jump to welterweight for the fight. The Panamanian ring legend himself fought in multiple weight classes, having started his storied career at lightweight (135 lbs) then climbing as high as the middleweight (160 lbs) division.

“I don’t think he’s (Rios) going to have any problems as long as he is not extremely overweight and having to worry about losing a lot of pounds. I think Brandon will be just fine as long as he gets there in time,” he explained.

Barrera, for his part, recalled his first meeting with Pacquiao, who stopped him in the 11th round of that fight 10 years ago.

“What I do remember is fighting a guy I knew nothing about and a very explosive fighter. What I remember about other than losing the fight was he really beat me with the body shots. He was an extremely quick fighter that I was not prepared for. More than anything, Manny Pacquiao gained a lot of respect from the fans by beating me,” narrated Barrera, who also lost a rematch to Pacquiao in 2007.

The fighters then proceeded to address questions ranging from bouncing back from a knockout defeat – in Pacquiao’s case, his knockout setback to Marquez last December – to getting acclimatized on foreign soil and even succumbing to outside distractions – in the Filipino’s case, the recent devastation caused by super typhoon Yolanda.

But their tone remained the same: Pacquiao is tipped to win.