After losing the first fight of his career, Brandon Rios has a tough task ahead of him on Saturday night, as he will be taking on the legendary Manny Pacquiao. But with the opposite directions these two fighters are heading, "Bam Bam" shouldn't have much trouble dismissing Pac-Man.
Rios entered 2013 with a terrific 31-0-1 record and a rematch with Mike Alvarado on the horizon. He had taken Alvarado down in the seventh round due to a technical knockout in the previous fight, and it felt like Rios would come out on top once again.
Instead, Alvarado beat him, winning by unanimous decision and leaving Bam Bam with his first loss and a 31-1-1 record.
Still, there's no denying that Rios is an excellent fighter who loves to throw a heavy dose of power punches. He loves to keep the fight in front of him and maintain the pressure while consistently throwing shots. According to CompuBox, although Rios lost his last fight and threw fewer total punches, he dished out 541 power punches compared to Alvarado's 462.
In his upcoming fight against Pacquiao, he has the measurable advantages. He is about two-and-a-half inches taller and has a three-inch reach advantage, although Rios won't capitalize on that with his aggressive fighting style.
It may be a bit speculative, but there could also be an issue regarding focus entering this fight. Rios is entering the fight after his first loss and is looking to get back to his winning ways. For Pacquiao, he's reached the end of his career and is beginning to consider what to do after boxing.
The retirement talks have already come up in his camp. According to a report from The Associated Press via USA Today, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach had this to say:
If it does not go well, we will seriously talk about his retirement and possibly going to politics.
It's really hard to say until we see the fight, but I will be the first one to tell him to retire, and we have an agreement that as soon as I tell him that, he will retire.
I know people are skeptical about that. Manny is a realist. He accepts it. It does not bother him. If you don't think you're going to be knocked out, you've got the wrong sport.
That doesn't seem like the most optimistic of trainers.
At 34 years old with more than 60 fights under his belt, Pacquiao is starting to approach the end of his career. He's mentioned that he has considered running for president in the Philippines and appears to be focused on a career in politics after fighting.
That career could be ending sooner rather than later.
Overall, Rios is a great fighter who will give the older Pacquiao a run for his money. He's motivated to make sure he doesn't lose two straight fights, and he should be able to handle Pacquiao in what could possibly be Pac-Man's last fight.
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