Pacquiao-Rios: Who will be the comeback king?

Carlos Cinco

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Manny Pacquiao vs Brandon Rios will definitely be a war. Who will be the comeback king?

 

FIRE. Does Pacquiao have enough fire in his belly to come back from a loss? Photo from Manny Pacquiao's Facebook page.

MANILA, Philippines — If the definition of war is “a state of armed conflict between different entities” then both Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 knockouts) and Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (31-1-1, 23 knockouts) will be in for one hell of a skirmish. 

After a series of months featuring recovery from a devastating knockout loss to rival Juan Manuel Marquez and contemplation of the perfect opponent to reaffirm his position on top of the boxing world, Pacquiao has selected Rios – the hard-punching brawler out of Oxnard, California.

Rios, who went life and death with his own archrival Mike Alvarado, escaped with a knockout win and a decision loss in two fights worthy of ‘Fight of the Year’ status. These two scraps against Alvarado installed Rios as a budding action star who throws punches first and asks questions later. 

We now find Rios, on the cusp of greatness, in for a long and painful night against one of the sport’s most fearsome offensive dynamos in Manny Pacquiao.

The bout will not be contested for any title nor any merit with both fighters coming off losses, but it will be a fan-friendly fight, from the weigh-in up to when they finally trade leather at the center of the ring.

All offense, no defense

One thing that will not be missed in this matchup is defense. Both Pacquiao and Rios have little to no head movement and both like to throw punches in bunches, so expect a fast-paced battle of attrition – ‘toe to toe’ as Manny likes to call it.

Pacquiao is known to never back down from a good exchange. He’ll throw his haymakers with bad intentions and expect the same in return from his opponent. Pacquiao will get hit, as he often does, but he’ll do so with a grin on his face and grit in his teeth.

Rios will oblige in the exact same way, although his style is a bit different. The come-forward Mexican-American likes to dig his face in his opponent’s chest and put the hurt on from inside. Rios is the quintessential phone booth battler, and has made a career out of staying in the pocket, giving as much as he gets.

Given the highly offensive nature of both fighters, this bout promises a level of action the likes of Gatti-Ward and Corrales-Castillo. Many people would have wanted for Pacquiao to face Marquez for the fifth time, or maybe even rematch Timothy Bradley, but after careful observation, Rios is a perfect fit for Pacquiao.

FIERCE. Will ferocity be enough for Rios to beat Pacquiao? Photo from Brandon Rios' Facebook page.

Question marks

Rios is by no means an intelligent and crafty boxer, he’s as rough and rugged as they come. He loves to give a good beating as much as he loves to get one, so Pacquiao will supposedly have a field day. But there’s an x-factor to this pairing of similar styles – Rios’ power and Pacquiao’s durability.

After being dropped like a sack of potatoes by a Marquez right hand, we have yet to see Pacquiao back in action, so naturally, there’s a dark cloud as to how much he has left in the tank. Historically, fighters who suffer from knockout losses of that nature never come back the same – think Amir Khan or Victor Ortiz in recent memory.

This could be a problem for Pacquiao, who is heavily reliant on his god-given physical attributes.

If Pacquiao doesn’t have enough left in his 35 year old body, Rios then is in pole position to force Manny into retirement.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Michael Woods, Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said that this is a ‘must win’ for Manny, adding that “if he [Pacquiao] loses, I will tell him to retire.”

“If you lose three in a row it’s your time. He’s up there in age, I’ve got to keep a close eye on him. It’s part of my job to protect him. I will do the right thing, I don’t want him to be a stepping stone,” said the shoo-in Hall of Famer.

In stark contrast, the 27-year-old Rios is young and destructive, looking to bring the pain. It will, however, be his first fight at welterweight, and whether or not he can carry his concussive knockout power to this weight class is anyone’s guess.

Nonetheless, Rios will bring the fight to Pacquiao, just the way Manny wants it. It will all come down to who is physically the more imposing fighter. Will Pacquiao’s trademark speed and relentlessness be there? Can Rios keep Pacquiao honest with his punching power?

These questions will only be answered when the two finally meet in the ring, November 23rd, at the Venetian Resort in Macao.

Until then, nothing is certain. The only thing fans can be sure about is that it will most definitely be, in every sense of the word, a war. – Rappler.com


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