Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios have a little over a day left before they step into the ring Saturday night in Macau.
Pac-Man comes in as the heavy favorite, wanting to make everyone forget about that knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in December 2012.
Rios is no slouch, though. He's lost just one fight in his career and is seven years Pacquiao's junior. Plus, all it takes is landing that one good punch, and it's game over for Pac-Man.
Of course, surrounding the fight are plenty of questions and storylines, the answers of which could have a big impact on the immediate future for both fighters.
When: Saturday, Nov. 23, at 9 p.m. ET
Where: The Venetian Macao, Macau, China
Watch: HBO PPV
Live Stream: HBO GO for replay
What to Watch for
Will Brandon Rios Pick Up an Historic Upset?
There's only one compelling storyline surrounding Rios, and it's whether he can actually win. Many are simply looking at the 27-year-old as a stepping stone necessary for Pacquiao to move on to bigger and better things again.
Once Pac-Man knocks him out, Rios will go back to obscurity.
But if Rios wins, he will have a career transformation. Overnight, he can become a huge star and get at least one more big fight.
Even Buster Douglas got a huge bout with Evander Holyfield before everybody remembered that he wasn't that good of a fighter to begin with, and his star quickly faded.
Pacquiao is still at that point in his career where he's looked at as a major star and one of the best pound-for-pound guys in the world. A win over him would result in a huge boost to one's career.
Really, though, whatever happens to Rios is merely serves as the backstory for Pacquiao's narrative.
How Will Manny Pacquiao Look in the Ring?
You can cancel out that loss to Timothy Bradley, but you still have to admit that Pacquiao hasn't been looking himself in the ring over the past couple of years.
Over his career, he's taken a ton of punishment, and as with any boxer, the years are starting to catch up with him. It isn't a unique occurrence that a fighter who's 34 years old isn't the same as he was five or 10 years ago.
With Pacquiao, you wonder how pronounced this decline is. Does he remain a great fighter, or are his days in the ring numbered?
In order to silence the critics, Pacquiao needs to win on Saturday and win in convincing fashion. He can't let Rios hang around or, heaven forbid, get knocked to the canvas.
A knockout would be the best result, but many would settle with a one-sided judges' decision.
Will Manny Pacquiao Display Knockout Power?
In a four-fight stretch from June 2008 to September 2009, Pacquiao had three knockouts and forced a stoppage in the eight round against Oscar De La Hoya. It was during this stretch that the discussion about Pacquiao being one of the best fighters in the world really gained steam.
He took out Ricky Hatton in the second round, felled Miguel Cotto in the 12th and took down David Diaz in the ninth. It was a dominant period which Pacquiao has yet to recreate. He hasn't recorded a knockout since beating Cotto on Sept. 14, 2009.
The question is, does Pac-Man still have knockout power?
So much of his success was based on his offensive prowess, as evidenced by his 38 knockouts in 54 matches. If he doesn't have great power, can Pacquiao remain a world-class fighter?
How Much Will Superfight with Floyd Mayweather Be the Focus?
Almost nothing Pacquiao does is viewed without considering what effect it would have on the prospective superfight between he and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
You can bet that the announcers will draw parallels between Pacquiao vs. Rios to Mayweather's win over Robert Guerrero back in May. Money looked great after spending a year out of the ring, so many expect Pac-Man to look just as good against a weak opponent following his knockout loss to Marquez.
Should Pacquiao comfortably win, there will be plenty of talk as to when he could fight Mayweather. If Rios wins, then that could be the death knell for Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.
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