SINGAPORE – Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios are scheduled to fight for the WBO International Welterweight Championship, Sunday, November 24, but more importantly at stake is career progression.
A win for Manny Pacquiao means coming back from a devastating knockout loss last year, which saw him unconscious for nearly 2 minutes. A loss on the other hand, could mean the end of his career.
A win for Brandon Rios would do wonders for his career, making him a household name and earning him more big money fights. A loss would further derail his climb back to relevance.
Traditionally, boxing matches are scored by taking into consideration effective aggression, clean punching and ring generalship. Both Pacquiao and Rios are more likely to swing for the fences in an all-out war than to try to box each other technically.
What are the categories that do matter? Power. Speed. Chin. Experience.
Pacquiao hasn't knocked out an opponent since his masterful performance against Miguel Cotto back in 2009 – that's 4 years ago. His last five fights have been underwhelming and he hasn't looked like the Pacquiao of old as of late. Rios has 3 knockouts out of his last 5, but they all come at 140 lbs. or less.
Pacquiao will most likely be faster than any fighter you put in front of him except Floyd Mayweather. His speed allows him to punch with better accuracy. Rios likes to brawl phonebooth style, so speed isn't quite his strong suit.
Rios has one of the toughest mugs in boxing right now, able to take a clean hit without so much as flinching. He smiles through the pain and grits his teeth as he returns fire at his opponents. Pacquiao, whether because of his physical decline or growing out-of-camp distractions, did not bring his A-game to the Marquez fight and as a result got completely wrecked.
Experience plays a major factor in this fight, the most significant aspect being fighting under the pressure of the bright lights of stardom. Manny Pacquiao has been at the top of the boxing food chain for years, so he's used to the pre-fight pageantries. This is Brandon Rios' first time in a fight of this magnitude and it will be interesting to see how he copes with millions of eyes watching him.
- Rappler.com