The People's Champion Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Ríos go head to head in Macau.
The fight game is so often a contrast in styles, something that is being played out live on the podium as Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Ríos meet the press together for the first time. They are at The Venetian Macao to promote what is being billed as The Clash in Cotai, a welterweight fight the boxing world has longed for, and one that is sure to raise the rafters at what can only be a sold-out CotaiArena on 24 November.
The bout will officially launch Macau into the big time as a premier fight venue, with Las Vegas once again looking over its shoulder at this Asian upstart which, after claiming its gaming crown, now has designs on that desert city role as boxing’s spiritual and financial home.
And that’s why we have Pacquiao before us – the seasoned veteran of 61 bouts, with a record of 54 wins (including 38 knockouts), five losses and two draws. He’s the only man in history to win world titles across eight divisions, and the highest-paid athlete on the planet last year with estimated earnings of more than us$62 million. The 34-year-old from General Santos City carries with him the confidence you might expect from a man who has conquered his sport, and whose sphere of influence now extends into politics in his hometown, where he is a congressman representing the province of Sarangani – and has designs on one day running for president.
A preview of a new documentary about the fighter has screened before he takes up the microphone and, in brief flashes, it shows the audience what most of them here already know: that Pacquiao fought his way out of poverty to become the hero of a nation.
“First of all, I’d like to thank God for letting me have another chance to fight,” he says. “Thanks also to my wife for supporting me. I am happy to be back in boxing and it is a big opportunity for us to fight in Macau. It’s going to be a good fight because Ríos likes to fight toe-to-toe.”
Then Pacquiao smiles as he takes the applause, taking it all in stride. Compare that to 27-year-old Ríos from the us, who takes to the stage before the former champion and seems a bundle of uncontrolled energy. “I’m nervous speaking in front of you all,” he says. “But I am not nervous about the fight. Come 24 November, I am going to be 100 per cent ready mentally and physically. I am going to show the world who I am, and show everybody who said bad things about me that I am not going to be just a punching bag. I’m going to prove them wrong.”
And that’s what makes the November bout so intriguing – the contrast. For Pacquiao, the fight is a chance to add another chapter to his storied career; for Ríos, it’s the chance to make a name for himself. For Pacquiao, the estimated purse is anywhere between US$25 million and US$30 million, while Ríos can expect about US$5 million.
When we sit down with Pacquiao, it is in one of The Venetian Macao’s most opulent suites, featuring a karaoke room, a small barber’s shop, and bedroom after bedroom after bedroom. It takes the fighter a good 10 minutes to take it all in before he sits down on the sofa and starts to talk about where he is at, in terms of his life and his career.
“This is a big fight for me,” he says. “I know I only have a few years left in boxing; it has always been what I love, but then I will go on to doing what I want to do with my life outside of boxing. I want to help people, and I want to make the Philippines a better place for everybody.”
Pacquiao continues, “But first I want to fight. And I know how much work I have to do to be ready for this fight. Everybody knows I lost my last two fights, so I have to show them once again I can fight. I know what is ahead of me and I am confident. I have the experience.” He adds, “I know Brandon is a good fighter and this is a great opportunity for him. But I will work hard and I will fight for my fans, for the Filipino people who will come to Macau and those who will watch back home.”
Pacquiao comes into the fight on the back of his shock knockout loss to Mexico’s Juan Manuel Márquez in Las Vegas last December, a fight that followed a controversial points loss last July to Timothy Bradley in a bout many observers thought the Filipino fighter had won.
“It is very important for me to come to Asia again to fight,” says Pacquiao. “It is important to give the people of Asia a chance to see me fight, and I think this fight will have a big impact. It will encourage people to love boxing – in the Philippines, Thailand, China and everywhere – and it is a big chance for Macau to become a big venue for boxing.”
Ríos believes the same. It has been, he says, a lot to take in, from the crowds to the attention, and to the realisation here that he is soon to face one of the greats of the sport. “To be honest, I didn’t know much about Macau for boxing. But when [Chinese fighter] Zou Shiming fought here for the first time [in April], it had great ratings and got a lot of interest,” he says. “It’s an exciting place and this is a huge moment for me, a huge opportunity. It’s cool – like a dream come true.”
Known as a big-hitter with an abundance of stamina, the us fighter comes to Macau with a 31-1-1 record that includes 23 knockouts. But his last match resulted in a loss to Mike Alvarado in March, one that Ríos says he quickly realised was actually a positive.
“I’m coming off a loss but I still won – it was that loss that meant I get to fight Pacquiao,” he says. “He’s a legend. He’s the pound-for-pound king. At the first press conference in Macau it really got to me. I was almost in tears.” He continues, “Before that everything was done on the phone. And then I found myself in front of all these people and it was real. I was next to Manny Pacquiao and it got to me, emotionally. But I’ll be there at the fight, and I’ll be focused.”
And then Ríos says something that, in spite of their contrasting styles, reveals that the two fighters have a few things in common, too.
“I do this because I really love it in my heart,” says Ríos. “I used to travel a lot and fight everywhere I could – national and regional tournaments. I’m very confident in what I do. I’m confident in myself and in my team. Not only that, but I fight with my heart. And if you have your heart in it, and you’re not scared – you can go far.”
Manny’s Greatest Hits
The world will be watching when Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Ríos meet on the morning of 24 November, and many boxing pundits are predicting Macau will be playing host to the fight of the year. Pacquiao’s record-setting career has seen him labelled one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers ever, and it’s little wonder when you consider some of the wars he has waged in the ring:
vs Marco Antonio Barrera When: 15 November 2003. Where: Alamadome, Texas. Known then to the world as the ibf super-bantamweight champion, Pacquiao moved to featherweight division – and he simply proved too powerful for Barrera, winning by tko in the 11th round.
vs Érik Morales – II When: 21 January 2006. Where: Thomas & Mack Centre, Las Vegas. The pair would end up fighting three times, but it was here that "El Terrible" felt Pacquiao’s full force. In the super-featherweight bout, Morales fell twice in the 10th – and never recovered.
vs Oscar De La HoyaWhen: 6 December 2008. Where: mgm Grand, Las Vegas. Pacquiao steps up two weight divisions to welterweight against one of the ring’s true greats. But The Golden Boy never knew what hit him, and Pacquiao claimed the bout after eight brutal, one-sided rounds.
vs Ricky Hatton When: 2 May 2009. Where: mgm Grand, Las Vegas. The Hitman came into this light-welterweight contest claiming no one in the division could knock him down. He lasted just two rounds as Pacquiao completely dominated the fight, ending it with a stunning left hook.
vs Miguel Cotto When: 14 November 2009. Where: mgm Grand, Las Vegas. Battling for the wbo welterweight championship, Pacquiao put on a stunning display against the valiant Cotto, who held on gamely before the referee stopped the fight in the 12th, handing Pacquiao a tko decision.
Photos courtesy of Chris Farina - Top Rank | Printed in Philippine Tatler Volume 12 No 147