“To me, I think Pacquiao is scared, Freddie Roach is scared and they will try to find an excuse to cancel this fight,” undefeated lightweight boxer Bradon Rios said. (Photo courtesy of Chris Farina/Top Rank/Boxing Scene)

MANILA, Philippines — For someone as young and enthusiastic as 24-year-old boxer Brandon Rios, uttering statements against arguably the best tandem in boxing today — that is, welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach — simply takes a lot of guts and courage to pull off.

The undefeated lightweight (25 wins, 0 losses, 1 draw, 18 via knockouts) recently blurted out a joke saying “Pacman (Manny Pacquiao) and (Freddie) Roach aren't looking for the weigh in — they may be seeking a way out,” as quoted in a post by Michael Marley of The Examiner.

The young boxer even went as far as calling Pacquiao and Roach as “excuse makers.”

“To me, I think Pacquiao is scared, Freddie Roach is scared and they will try to find an excuse to cancel this fight,” Rios was quoted as saying. “Margarito is going to kick Manny's ass. I wonder if they will say that Manny hurt his hand.”

“I think that Manny is scared, I think they'll come up with some injury. Joshua Clottey can't even punch and he was hitting him easy”

Rios was obviously referring to rumors of Pacquiao’s struggles at his training camp in Baguio City, mainly due to the distractions that have been hounding him as of late, most notable of which was his duty as congressman of Sarangani province in Mindanao as what Freddie Roach kept on saying all throughout their stay in the Philippines.

“I would not be surprised if they cancel the fight,” Rios said. “They want us to think Pacquiao isn't working hard so that Margarito will train lightly.

Margarito is reportedly tapering down his training sessions under trainer Roberto Garcia in Oxnard, California, with a little over 15 days left before fight night.

No Rematch Clause in Pacquiao-Margarito Bout
Regardless of the outcome of the November 13 fight between pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao and former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, a rematch pitting the two fighters would be a farfetched thought — at least in terms of what the agreed contract says.

Hall of Fame promoter and Top Rank big boss Bob Arum has revealed that there is no rematch clause on either fighter’s contract, as neither fighter has requested for it prior to getting the match done.

However, a second faceoff pitting the two aggressive boxers will depend on the public’s clamor on getting the bout done.

“There’s nothing contractual dealing with a rematch,” the 79-year-old Arum said, in a statement quoted by Boxing Scene’s Lem Satterfield. “In other words, there doesn’t have to be a rematch, and there’s no way that I could compel a rematch.”

“But if Margarito were to win, and they wanted to go at it again, both of them, then that would be terrific.”

Margarito, just like Pacquiao, is being handled and promoted by Arum’s boxing outfit, Top Rank Promotions. With that being the case, it is assumed that there will be no major hindrances in setting up another fight between the two should Margarito succeeds in pulling off an upset against the smaller but heavily favored Pacquiao.

Ian Palmer, writing for the Opposing Views website, has this to say on the Pacquiao-Margarito rematch issue:

"Most boxing fans feel pound-for-pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao is basically in a no-lose situation when he takes on Antonio Margarito of Mexico Nov. 13 in Dallas, Texas. If the Filipino boxing sensation should win, he’d be taking home his eighth world title in eight different weight classes -- the bout is for the WBC Super Welterweight title at a catch weight of 151 lbs.

If he loses, fans will point to the fact Pacquiao is much smaller than Margarito in size, height, and reach, etc. And Pac-Man has come up in weight to take on a natural welterweight and much bigger man..."

Sources:
The Examiner
Boxing Scene
Opposing Views