You know what? You cannot compare Robert Garcia to my dad, Manuel Rios I’m going to tell you why. My Dad did a great job, he got me where I needed to be in the amateurs. He took me very far and honestly he was the best at that job. He took me as far as to have Robert Garcia notice me and take me to the professionals. You cannot compare the two because my dad is my dad and as a trainer he got me very far in my amateur career and at a very young age. Not a lot of trainers let alone dads can do that for young boxers or their sons. My dad did great with me in amateurs and Robert is doing a great job with me in the professionals. Two very different worlds, and different atmospheres.
I admire and respect my dad for all he did for me and continues to do at Garden City Boxing Club in Kansas, because he continues to create champions and most importantly get kids off the street. How can you not admire that right? My dad did all he could to get me off the streets, sometimes I listened sometimes I didn’t. But I will tell you this much, my dad is the reason I even love Boxing as much as I do and the reason one day I decided I wanted to fight. Without my Dad I wouldn’t of have gotten to meet Robert Garcia and become the fighter I am today.
As far as Robert Garcia I have a different admiration for him and he taught me at a different level, in a professional level. When I came from Kansas I was basically a kid coming to a whole new world with new people. He flew me from Garden City to Oxnard to train professionally. At that point I started living with my assistant trainer Donald Leary who took me into his home as another family member. Thanks to the training and advising of not only Robert but also Donald I learned to adapt quickly to the professional Boxing career. I love the way Robert trains, he trains great professionally I believe my dad made a great choice to hand me over to one of the greatest Boxing trainers once I was done with my amateur career.
To me both Robert Garcia and my dad are badass at what they do. So to me there is no comparison to them. I’m not going to say Robert is a better trainer than my dad, heck no! They are both great trainer in two different types of fighting amateur and professional. My Dad helped get me this far, to finish the amateurs and hand me over to Robert in California to fight professionally. Robert got me this far professionally to make me a World Champion and he’s done great in the professional area of my career so I can’t compare. I see them both as equal my dad in amateur and Robert professionally.
One of the most important lessons that Robert Garcia has taught me is to go into the ring and be myself, fight the way I fight. To always train hard never take anything lightly. Another important thing he taught me is to eat healthy and lose weight the right way. The way I was at 135, ah man, I never want to see myself like that again. I mean I can’t take lightly that I’m going to fight at 147, I have to lose weight the right way, a healthy way. Most importantly train hard for the biggest fight in my career November 23 against many Pacquiao.
24/7 Pacquiao/Rios Finale debuts Thursday, Nov. 21 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
Manny Pacquiao vs Brandon Rios takes place Saturday, Nov. 23 live on pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
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Photo Credit: GettyImages / AFP/Stringer
