Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios hosted their first United States press conference in New York to announce their eagerly-anticipated welterweight bout.
It will be a 12-round bout at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds.
Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) is going to spend his entire training camp at home in General Santos, the Philippines.
At the press conference the 34-year-old insisted that his career is not over despite his recent history.
'Pac Man' was defeated in his last two bouts; he lost his WBO Welterweight title to Timothy Bradley in a split decision in June of last year, and was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in the sixth round last December.
"I know he's a good fighter, he throws a lot of punches and he's a very aggressive fighter. I choose him because I know I believe that he can give a good fight on November 23rd here in America, 24th in the Philippines and it's going to be more action in the ring and I can prove that I can still fight and my boxing career is not done yet," Pacquiao said.
The 27-year-old Rios (31-1-1, 22 KOs) split his last two fights, both to Mike Alvarado. He knocked out Alvarado in October and lost a unanimous decision to him in March.
In light of the penalties announced by Major League Baseball, organisers stressed that the fighters agreed several months ago to submit to random drug testing which will be administered by VADA .
For Pacquiao, boxing's only eight-division world champion, this marks his 2013 debut as well as his first fight outside America since his 12-round super featherweight unanimous decision victory over former world champion Oscar Larios in 2006, which took place in his homeland of the Philippines.
Organisers say it will be the biggest professional boxing match ever held in China, in part because the undercard will include Chinese two-time Olympic gold medallist Zou Shiming, who won by a unanimous decision against Jesus Ortega last weekend in a six-round flyweight match.
Pacquiao and Rios are nearing the end of their seven-stop, 23,722-mile international media tour which included Macau, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore.
The duo will make one final appearance before breaking for camp in Beverly Hills.
SNTV
source: newshub archive
