Pacquiao-Rios will be Asia’s richest title fight

MANILA — The Manny Pacquiao-Brandon Rios matchup at Venetian Cotai Arena on Nov. 24 in Macau will be Asia’s largest purse for a boxing event.
This as the fight would surpass the Mike Tyson-James “Buster Douglas heavyweight 1990 title fight in Tokyo, Japan, considered the richest fight in the region for years, PNA’s Lily O. Ramos reported, quoting the South China Morning Post.

The broadsheet newspaper quoted Bob Arum, chief executive officer(CEO) and founder of promoters Top Rank as saying the Pacquiao-Rios bout for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title would surpass those numbers from 1990 in terms of purse, TV viewership and interest.
“It will be by far the biggest purse in Asia,” Arum said.”I expect Manny to make approximately US$20 million and Rios US$4 million. There’s no question it will be the biggest boxing fight in Asia ever,”Arum told the Hong Kong paper.
Douglas beat Tyson on Feb. 10, 1990 at the Tokyo Dome in one of boxing’s biggest upsets in fight history when the then 42-1 underdog knocked out “Iron Mike who banked US$ 6 million while Douglas made US$ 1.3 million.”
The Hong Kong paper further added that Edward Tracy, chief executive of co-promoters Sands China, declared the Pacquiao-Rios fight had generated keen interest and the state-run CCTV will broadcast the event to about 300 million viewers across China.
Tracy added,”From a sporting viewpoint, this event will probably be the biggest event since the Beijing Olympics [in 2008]. We are expecting [a capacity crowd] of around 12,000 spectators.”
Fight undercard features China’s two-time Olympic gold medalist, Zou Shiming, who will fight Mexico’s Juan “Pollo” Toscano, while Hong Kong’s unbeaten “wonder kid” 26-year-old Rex Tso Sing-yu, will fight 22-year-old Thai Susu Sithjadaeng (7-3, 2 KOs) in a six-round super flyweight matchup.
Pacquiao is training hard like a 20-year-old fighter, indicating he is determined to redeem himself after losing his last two fights against nis Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley Jr.
But he may have advanced his training that he has to slow down a bit, said his coach Freddie Roach.
Meanwhile, the head of the Voluntary Anti Doping Agency has blasted Manny Pacquiao’s former strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza for making false accusations that the Filipino has not undergone any random drug tests so far, while his opponent Brandon Rios has been tested twice in the run up to their World Boxing Organization International welterweight title fight in Macau on Nov. 24.
Dr. Margaret Goodman, who was a former ringside physician and head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Medical Advisory Board, reacted angrily to the statement of Ariza, who was fired by celebrated Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach because he was causing dissension within the Pacquiao camp and later joined the camp of Rios, reported Ronnie Nathanielz.
Pacquiao told ABS-CBN that his match against American Brandon Rios in  Macau on November 24 would be “a good window” to promote boxing in China.
“This training camp, I believe, is one of the longest preparations in my boxing career. I trained early because I want to prove that I can still fight in the top (tier) of boxing,” the Filipino world boxing icon said.
“This time my preparation is more serious, more focused. My mind is like when I was 20 years old,” he said.
A former champion in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, Pacquiao, who turns 35 in December, is seeking to come back from two consecutive defeats which have led supporters to question if he should hang up his gloves.
Ariza  had claimed: “VADA just confirmed that they have yet to test Manny Pacquiao and have no plans to test him until he arrives in Macau.”
The VADA head told Jake Donovan of boxingscene.com that Ariza’s statement was “a blatantly false and unsubstantiated story. Pacquiao and Rios have been tested by VADA and any further information should be obtained from the fighters respective camps, Top Rank and the Commission in Macau.”
Roach said in General Santos City on Wednesday, that Pacquiao had been tested not once but twice, with the second test done on Wednesday.
Roach said they were prepared “to undergo random drugs tests every day if they wanted,” insisting that Pacquiao never had any reason to hide anything, reported Ronnie Nathanielz.
Roach was looking for two more sparring partners who could imitate the aggressive, come-forward style of Rios after undefeated  Ghana welterweight Fredrick Lawson had his last sparring session today and would leave for Ghana on Friday.
Pacquiao sparred eight rounds before a huge contingent of media people from Macau, China and since they were shooting footage of the sparring, the Fighter of the Decade held back and didn’t show what he’s been working on in his fight plan to defeat Rios.