MACAU – Brandon Rios showed up at the post-fight press conference wearing a pair of sunglasses that covered half his face.
The 27-year-old Mexican-American just got a beating from Manny Pacquiao before a dominant Pinoy crowd of 13,101 at the Cotai Arena.
By the seventh round, Rios had cuts on both eyes. And by the final buzzer, he looked like a beaten fighter. There was no need to check the scorecards.
Rios insisted he never got hurt by Pacquiao’s punches, and it was quite hard to believe because his face showed otherwise.
“I can say one thing though – I never got hurt. I never got hurt at all,†said Rios who admitted being mesmerized by Pacquiao’s great speed.
Everybody knows how slow Rios is. But against Pacquiao, he looked 10 times slower.
“He’s very fast. He came from different angles,†said Rios on top of the ring, after the fight, and as relayed to press row by Top Rank’s Lee Samuels.
“He’s one of the best fighters in the world. Pacquiao still has it and with a lot of quickness and speed he’ll be fighting for a long time,†added Rios.
Pacquiao, who didn’t fight for nearly a year since being knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez, was back in his old self.
He was quick with his feet and quicker with his hands.
But is the power still there?
Rios doesn’t think so.
“It’s his speed and awkwardness but he never hurt me one bit. I’m not hurt I’m not stunned. I can go five more rounds,†he said.
“I was never hurt. What got me was his speed,†added Rios, who remembered Pacquiao’s left straights as the Filipino’s best punch.
Then he corrected himself, saying, “No, his quickness was his best punch.â€
Rios trained long and hard for this fight. He was so confident he could beat Pacquiao, and set himself for stardom.
“I prepared very well. I really wanted to win. I wanted to win so bad,†he said.
He was too slow to get the job done.
“I’ll say it over and over... mother-fu@ker’s fast,†he said of Pacquiao.
Speed kills in boxing.