Over the weekend, hardworking reporter Elie Seckbach was on hand at the LAX airport in Los Angeles to bid farewell to trainer Robert Garcia and fighters Brandon Rios and Javier 'Pelos' Garcia. The trio would end up making their way to Mexico City, Mexico, where they are currently in camp with former champion Antonio Margarito as he prepares for his December 3rd rematch with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.
Margarito began working with Garcia prior to his victory over Roberto Garcia in May of 2010 and his fight with Cotto may mark his last fight on the big stage if unsuccessful. Rios hit it off with Margarito during their time in camp together last year and he will be defending his WBA lightweight championship against Manchester's John Murray on the December 3rd undercard.
<--- Massive slideshow: A look inside the lives of Pacquiao and Marquez as they prepare for their trilogy bout, including shots from the first 24/7 episode, images from their press tour, and bonus action shots from previous bouts
As Rios made his way to the terminal to board his flight, he was asked about stable mate Nonito Donaire, who, just this past weekend successfully defended his WBC and WBO bantamweight titles against unwilling Argentinean Omar Narvaez at the WaMu Theater inside of Madison Square Garden. It was a dominant display from Donaire but Rios echoed the sentiments of many when breaking down the fight.
“The guy made it f****** boring,” Rios said as he blasted Narvaez, who spent more time posturing and defending himself than actually fighting. “He made the fight very boring, simple as that. Nonito did his thing, but the other guy made it boring.”
Rios then took things further by stating how exactly he would have attacked Narvaez had he been in Donaire’s shoes.
“You know what? I would have done different. I would have hit him on the hip, so his hands would have went down. [I would have hit] his shoulders,” Rios said.
Prior to HBO’s airing of the Donaire-Narvaez bout, viewers were treated to the first episode of the network’s excellent 24/7 series as we took a look into the lives of Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez as they prepared for their November 12th trilogy bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The series has been highly-acclaimed since its inception but Rios wasn’t feeling the first episode.
“It wasn’t all that,” he said. “There’s too much focus on training. No good times, no fun times.”
While Rios may be one of the sport’s most gregarious characters, he isn’t without a softer side. Asked what he would miss the most while away from his home in Oxnard, California, his response was simple.
“My family and the gym. That’s my baby right there,” Rios said as he pulled a picture of his daughter Mia out from his wallet.
It should be a memorable time for the three men down in Mexico. Expect more updates as the weeks progress.
To visit Rios and Garcia on their way to Mexico, please check out the video on the left or go to www.ESNewsReporting.com
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Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at Trimond@aol.com
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