Brandon Rios Wise to Put His Game Face on Before Showdown with Pac-Man

In the months leading up to Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios vs. Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao, things seemed chummy between the two fighters. It left me wondering why Rios wasn't being a bit more hardened toward a man who would be trying to knock his block off in a matter of weeks.

It was bewildering that Rios didn't have a bit of an edge. After all, not many people are expecting him to be more than a punching bag on Saturday.

The friendly act from Pacquiao isn't surprising. He is a chameleon.

He looks unassuming away from the ring, but he's vicious and ferocious inside of it. He has so much on the line in this fight. There is no doubt he'll be mentally engaged on Saturday in Macau, China.

Ultimately, Rios got the point. He has ditched that happy-go-lucky persona for the foul-mouthed, politically incorrect slugger I expected to see all along.

The HBO Pacquiao vs. Rios 24/7 series has shown the 27-year-old Texan in a light that may be off-putting to some, but like it or not, that's Bam Bam. Much like his fighting style, everything he does or says during the pre-fight documentary may not be technically appropriate, but it is entertaining.

The same Rios you see and hear during the show is the one who is coming out in recent interviews. Per Jhaton Robinson of Vibe, Rios said: "I'm not afraid of him, no respect to him. I don't got no respect for him. I'm not his friend, he's not my friend, I'm fighting him."

One of the biggest mistakes Rios could make heading into this fight is to think he and Pac-Man are friends. It would be a psychological disadvantage because Pacquiao will let nothing beyond his own limitations stand in the way of victory. 

Kevin Spacey said in his role as Verbal Kent in the movie The Usual Suspects, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." 

Rios knows the danger that he could be heading into, and he's adjusted his demeanor accordingly.

Perhaps being disrespected by the media has something to do with it. I, like many other boxing pundits, don't believe Rios has much of a shot to win unless Pac-Man is a shadow of himself. Rios has heard that talk, and it has placed a chip on his shoulder.

Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Rios says he's "being treated like some kind of joke" in the fight. Suddenly, he isn't laughing anymore.

He's ready to fight. Whether he wins is another story—but at least he'll be in the right mindset when he steps in the ring.

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