Pacquiao out to restore fans' trust

Expect a quick ending as Manny Pacquiao plans to take the same approach as what he did against Ricky Hatton when he faces Brandon Rios for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International welterweight title on November 23 at the Venetian Resort in Macau, China.

The former WBO welterweight title holder is hoping to bounce back from consecutive setbacks to undefeated American Timothy Bradley Jr. (31-0, 12 knockouts) and Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, with 40 KOs).

Pacquiao (54-5-2, with 38 KOs) was riding on a 15-match winning streak including that second-round KO win over Hatton on May 2, 2009. Rios is aiming to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Mile Alvarado (34-2, with 23 KOs) in March this year.

“My game plan for Rios will be similar to the one I had for Ricky Hatton. That fight didn't go long enough for me to unveil everything. Maybe this time I'll be able to show more of that plan—maybe,” said Pacquiao in an interview by World Boxing News.

The Filipino boxing icon added that he wants to prove to all fight fans that he can still knock out his opponents.

“I want to prove to everyone that I can still fight like the old Manny Pacquiao. I need to restore the public's confidence in me and my abilities. This must be an impressive victory. I have already begun to visualize my fight with Rios.”

Pacquiao said he has focused on the things that helped him dominate bigger foes like Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.

The focus of this camp has been 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 [Juan Manuel] Marquez."

Pacquiao even tagged the 27-year-old Rios (31-1-1, with 23 KOs) as an aggressive fighter.

“Rios is an aggressive fighter. He likes to fight on the inside and toe-to-toe. He likes to fight, period. It will be a very entertaining fight for the fans. It will be all-action. A real fight and not a track meet. I am 100% confident of winning this fight.”

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