Manny Pacquiao wrapped up his first week of training for his upcoming showdown with Brandon Rios, and so far, his trainers liked what they saw from the former pound-for-pound king.
Pacquiao, who's slated to face the hard-hitting Rios on Nov. 24 at Venetian Macao in Macau, China, is reportedly close to reaching his tip-top shape with still roughly 2 months to go before the fight.
According to his mitts partner, and strength and conditioning coach Nonoy Neri, Pacquiao still possesses that punching power despite an eight-month hiatus from boxing following a sixth round TKO loss to rival Juan Manuel Marquez last December.
Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, said Pacquiao is taking his training more seriously than he had before, knowing that a decision win over Rios won't be enough for him to earn another big fight or even a title shot out there.
"Manny's doing everything possible to get back on track. There is no hanky-panky. I talked to him and he knows the magnitude of this fight. He knows that a win won't be enough. He has to win big," Koncz told World Boxing News.
Pacquiao is once again pitted as one of the possible contenders for Floyd Mayweather Jr. (despite Money May's stance not to fight as a "has been" boxer like Pacman). However, for this mega showdown to happen, Pacquiao has to prove that he still has the game to go toe-to-toe with the world's best boxer.
Meanwhile, Freddie Roach is scheduled to arrive in General Santos City possibly in the second week of October to officially begin the crucial stage of training camp. Koncz said Roach is expected to bring in sparring mates from South Korea and Japan to toughen the eight-division champion.
For more Pacquiao vs. Rios Update, Read more at Latinos Post Sports.
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