"I will begin three months of training in August when I return to the Philippines after the media tour. I'll do six weeks of conditioning and building up my stamina, followed by a six-week training camp with Freddie Roach when he arrives in October. I'm 34 and I now need to train over a longer period. The focus of this camp will be on speed and footwork, which have been my advantages in previous successful fights. I'll be more careful to avoid the careless error I made against Márquez," stated multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, who talked about his anticipated showdown with former lightweight champion Brandon Rios on November 23 at the Venetian Macao CotaiArena in Macau, China. Over the weekend, both Pacquiao and Rios embarked on a seven-stop international media tour to begin promoting the event. Though Pacquiao always appears to be in phenomenal shape every time he steps into the ring, he admitted to feeling a little pressure to score an impressive victory.
"I was in my best shape when I fought Márquez last December. I was winning the fight. I had taken control. But I got careless and made a mistake, being in the wrong place for him to land that final punch. But that's boxing. That's what makes it so exciting," he explained, making note of the fact that it was one careless mistake that caused him to lose his last fight via devastating knockout; a mistake that he has no plans of repeating come November. "I am feeling a little pressure for this fight since I have lost my previous two. An impressive victory against Rios will raise my name again in boxing. My belief in God and training as hard as I can will help to relieve that pressure," Pacquiao continued. "I need to prove I still can fight like the old Manny Pacquiao. I need to restore the public's confidence in me and my abilities. It's important that this be an impressive victory. I have already begun to visualize my fight with Rios."
Although Pacquiao may feel a little pressure to perform, he still believes Rios has a style that's tailor-made for him, and he's confident he'll be able to take advantage and walk away with the victory. "I have seen Rios fight and I am confident that I will win the fight. One of my advantages is my experience against better opposition. I think the question that needs to be asked is, 'Is Rios ready for me?'," he added. "Rios is an aggressive fighter. He likes to fight on the inside and toe-to-toe. He likes to fight, period. I am 100% confident of winning this fight. The fans will really enjoy the action."
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