Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Rios make weight for Saturday’s fight in China

Manny Pacquiao weighed 145 pounds and Brandon Rios tipped the scales at 146 1/2 Friday at the weigh-in for their welterweight main event Saturday at the Venetian Resort in Macau, China (on HBO pay-per-view).

Pacquiao, 34, is 54-5-2 with 38 knockouts. This will be his first fight since being knocked out in the sixth round by Juan Manuel Marquez in December in Las Vegas.

Rios, 27, is 31-1-1 with 23 knockouts. The former lightweight champion last fought in March when he lost a unanimous decision to Mike Alvarado in Las Vegas.

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AP report: Pacquiao will make Rios camp pay for mocking Freddie Roach

According to an Associated Press story, Manny Pacquiao wants to make the Brandon Rios camp pay for its strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza, mocking Freddie Roach’s speech just before Ariza kicked Roach in the chest during a brawl between the camps Wednesday in Macau, China.

Roach indicated Pacquiao will do that by dispatching Rios early when the fighters duke it out Saturday at the Venetian Resort in Macau (on HBO pay-per-view).

Roach, who has Parkinson’s, and Ariza are bitter enemies. Ariza worked in the Pacquiao camp for years before he was let go, apparently at the behest of Roach. The camps tangled at a Macau gym because the Rios camp was there longer than it was supposed to be, cutting into Pacquiao’s time.

Roach said in the AP story that Pacquiao watched video of the incident, and that he was not pleased.

“(Pacquiao) said to me, ‘Are those the guys that made fun of you?’ ” Roach said. “And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘That’s all I need to know,’ and he walked away.

“He told me he’s going to take care of this guy quickly.”

 

 

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World champion Ruslan Provodnikov in China to support Manny Pacquiao

Junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia will be ringside at the Venetian Resort in Macau, China on Saturday when Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios square off there in the welterweight main event (on HBO pay-per-view).

Provodnikov and Pacquiao are friends and former sparring partners. Both are trained by Freddie Roach.

“I made sure I was in Macau to support my friend Manny Paquiao in his big return to the ring, and I will be rooting for him in this fight.”, Provodnikov said.

Provodnikov, a hard puncher, is coming off a 10th-round TKO of Mike Alvarado in October; Provodnikov took Alvarado’s title in the process.

Provodnikov’s moniker is “Siberian Rocky.”

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Final episode of HBO’s ’24/7: Pacquiao/Rios’ is on tap tonight at 7

The third and final episode of HBO’s “24/7: Pacquiao/Rios” will be televised tonight at 7 (Pacific time). This could be the best of the three if HBO shows some of the brief brawl that took place between the respective camps of Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios Wednesday (Tuesday in the U.S.) in Macau, China.

Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs)   and Rios will tangle in the welterweight main event at the Venetian Resort.(31-1-1, 23 KOs) in Macau (on HBO pay-per-view). It will be Pacquiao’s first fight since being knocked out in the sixth round by Juan Manuel Marquez in December at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

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Manny Pacquiao, Brandon Rios satellite tours to be streamed live tonight

Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will both do 1-hour satellite tours that will be streamed live and can be viewed by the public.

Rios’ tour will begin at 4:30 p.m., Pacquiao’s at 5:30. Fans can take them in at either www.toprank.tv or www.insidehboboxing.com. Pacquiao and Rios will square off Saturday in the welterweight main event in Macau, China (on HBO pay-per-view).

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Robert Garcia makes bold statement about Manny Pacquiao’s future

Everyone is well aware by now of the brief brawl between the Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios camps Wednesday morning in Macau, China, where the two fighters will meet Saturday in the welterweight main event (on HBO pay-per-view).

But even a day earlier, Robert Garcia was making a bold statement regarding Pacquiao’s apparent bleak future as a fighter. Garcia trains Rios.

“Twice during the two episodes of ’24/7′ I’ve heard Freddie Roach say he will ask Manny Pacquiao to retire if he loses to Brandon Rios,” Garcia said. “Well, Freddie had better buy that gold watch for Manny, because the retirement party begins on Saturday night.  I guarantee you this will be the last time you ever see Manny Pacquiao on an HBO Pay-Per-View.”

Roach, of course, trains Pacquiao, His beef with the Garcia camp Wednesday that resulted in Roach being kicked in the chest by Rios’ strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, is bound to make Thursday’s third and final episode of “24/7: Pacquiao/Rios.”

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ESPN: Brawl with Pacquiao, Rios camps included racial and other uncool stuff

We reported earlier that there was an altercation between members of the Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios camps Wednesday morning at a gym in Macau, China, where the fighters will square off Saturday in the welterweight main event (on HBO pay-per-view).

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was peeved that Rios and his team were still in the gym at 11 a.m. Macau time even though that’s when Pacquiao is supposed to get the facility. Roach and Robert Garcia – Rios’ trainer – exchanged harsh words. At one point, Alex Ariza apparently started mocking Roach the way he talks because he has Parkinson’s, according to a report on ESPN.com.

At that point, Roach took a step toward Ariza, who kicked Roach in the chest. There has been no love lost between Roach and Ariza, who used to be the strength and conditioning coach for Pacquiao, but now  holds that role for Rios after he was let go by Team Pacquiao.

That same report on ESPN.com said that Roach referred to an obviously upset member of Rios’ camp who was shouting at Roach,  as a “Mexican mother (expletive).”

 

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Beef over gym time escalates into physical row with Pacquiao, Rios camps

An argument over gym time turned physical when Alex Ariza kicked Freddie Roach in the chest on Wednesday morning at a gym in Macau, China.

That’s where Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will square off Saturday in the welterweight main event at the Venetian Resort (on HBO pay-per-view).

Roach trains Pacquiao, Robert Garcia trains Rios. As for Ariza, he used to be the strength and conditioning coach for Pacquiao, but now has that role in the Rios camp.

A video shows Roach and Garcia arguing over Team Rios still being in the gym at 11 a.m. (Macau time) even though Pacquiao’s time starts at 11. As the two exchange barbs, a member of Rios’ camp is beside himself and has to be restrained and Ariza and Roach begin to jaw at each other.

Roach took a step toward Ariza, who then kicked Roach in the chest. Roach told security he wanted Ariza arrested.

There is a video out there that can be found on YouTube. We can’t post it here because it contains quite a bit of foul language.

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Finale episode of HBO’s 24/7: Pacquiao/Rios on tap for Thursday night

The third and final episode of HBO’s 24/7: Pacquiao/Rios will be shown Thursday night at 10 p.m.

All three episodes will be replayed Friday beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) and Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) will square off Saturday in the welterweight main event in Macao, China (on HBO pay-per-view).

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Bob Arum recalls ‘Thrilla in Manila’ ahead of Pacquiao-Rios fight Saturday

Longtime promoter Bob Arum on Saturday will promote the welterweight fight between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios in Macao, China (on HBO pay-per-view). During a conference call, he remembered vividly his favorite international promotion, and it was no surprise.

“The one that sticks out and is most comparable because it takes place in the same time zone is the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ when Muhammad Ali faced off against Joe Frazier,” Arum said. “That fight took place in the same time that the Pacquiao-Rios fight will take place – around noon Manila time. It was one of the greatest fights I have ever seen in my life.”

Ali won when Frazier did not answer the bell for the 15th round of the fight that took place Oct. 1, 1975.

“These guys went at it and (trainer) Eddie Futch wouldn’t let Joe Frazier come out for the 15th round and Muhammad won the fight,” Arum said.

Arum also remember the immediate aftermath.

“What I remember most was going outside the (Araneta) Coliseum after the fight was over – we had just seen this unbelievable fight and the sun was the brightest that I have ever seen and it was almost as if everyone was blinded by the daylight, and it was one of the most memorable experiences I ever had in my life.”

 

 

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