On November 23, Macau will be host to a groundbreaking event when Top Rank brings the welterweight title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios to the former Portuguese colony. The fight will take place inside the Cotai Arena at 9 P.M. ET. On the line in this fight is the vacant WBO International Welterweight belt.
Betting Preview: Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Manny Pacquiao | -430 |
| Brandon Rios | +330 |
*As of November 8, 2013.
Betting on Manny Pacquiao
It was a sight many people never imagined possible, but Juan Manuel Marquez, with one solidly planted punch, took down the eight-division champ and left him dozing on the canvas for several seconds for a big knockout win. That was Pacquiao’s most recent fight and his second straight defeat, which came on the heels of his controversial loss to Timothy Bradley – also last year.
Clearly, Pacquiao needs a big win over Brandon Rios in his next fight if he plans to keep his relevance in the boxing world afloat. Not that his star is fading, but three straight losses would be detrimental to the future of Pacquiao’s boxing career.
Pacquiao’s Last 5 Fights:
| Date | Opponent | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 12/08/2012 | Juan Manuel Marquez | L via KO (Round 6) |
| 06/09/2012 | Timothy Bradley | L via SD |
| 11/12/2011 | Juan Manuel Marquez | W via MD |
| 05/07/2011 | Shane Mosley | W via UD |
| 11/13/2010 | Antonio Margarito | W via UD |
In one of his recent interviews, Pacquiao hinted that he would be using the same tactic he employed against Ricky Hatton back in 2009. In that fight, Pacquiao was on the peak of his physical prowess, totally dismantling the English boxer, which ended in a brutal second round knockout win for the Filipino. [sc:Other250banner ]
Both Hatton and Rios are aggressive fighters and like to move forward, not shying away from exchanging fireworks with anyone. That style arguably fits Pacquiao the best, given his troubles with tacticians, e.g. Marquez. Fighters like Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, and David Diaz were examples of what happens when boxers try to go toe-to-toe with Manila Ice.
Pacquiao’s bout against Rios will be his bid to convince people that he’s not done yet — that at 34 years old, age hasn’t caught up with him yet. That he still is the old, vicious fighter whose relentless, devil-may-care approach to the pugilist game has left both opponents in a bloody mess and fans on their feet.
Betting on Brandon Rios
Instead of a third fight with Mike Alvarado, Top Rank CEO lined up Brandon Rios to fight a beast from the east in Manny Pacquiao. Certainly, a win over the Pacman would significantly boost Rios’ popularity, and of course, his boxing value.
For the Pacquiao fight, Rios climbed to the welterweight division for the first time in his career. The former lightweight champion thinks that the added weight will be to his advantage. In an interview with RingTV, Rios said, “I’m moving up in weight, so I don’t have to kill myself. I’ll have better muscle tone and better everything.”
Rios’ Last 5 Fights:
| Date | Opponent | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 03/30/2013 | Mike Alvarado | L via UD |
| 10/13/2012 | Mike Alvarado | W via KO (Round 7) |
| 04/14/2012 | Richar Abril | W via SD |
| 12/03/2011 | John Murray | W via KO (Round 11) |
| 07/09/2011 | Urbano Antillon |
W via KO (Round 3) |
If Pacquiao has experience, then Rios has the advantage of being younger – he is seven years the junior of the Filipino congressman – and he thinks that Pacquiao is ripe for another knockout loss.
Rios plans to put heavy pressure on his older opponent and looks to test the suspect chin of Pacquiao early in the fight. Pacquiao is coming off a devastating KO loss to Marquez, and his chin could be much more brittle now than before.
[sc:Other490banner ]Rios could also benefit from having Alex Ariza in his corner. Ariza had been Pacquiao’s long-time strength coach, and helped him prepare for many of his best fights.
Before his loss to Alvarado, Rios was on a 13-fight winning streak, 11 of which ended via KO.
Bet on Brandon Rios over at the sportsbook, and check out lines and odds for this fight as well as countless other sporting events throughout the year.
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