Manny Pacquiao Fight Won't Be Among Most Highly Regarded Bouts of 2013

Looking fit and focused, Manny Pacquiao is set to take on “Bam Bam” Brandon Rios Nov. 23 in Macau, China. At the private workout streamed on Newsday (via Yahoo! Sports) back on Nov. 14, Pacquiao was in great shape and looked clearly determined to come away victorious Saturday night.

Barring a drastic decline in skills, Pacquiao should win this fight easily. Rios' style and lack of speed makes him the ideal opponent for Pacquiao coming off a two-fight losing streak. This may look like a fight that has "war" written all over it, but that can only happen if Pac-Man isn't at his best.

Rios comes straight ahead with little to no regard for defense. He is a very good puncher, but he's never faced an opponent as fast or as deadly with both hands. The fact that Pacquiao is motivated by his recent defeats should make things worse for Rios.

Bam Bam has a puncher's chance, but not much else. Because of the disparity in hand speed, there is almost no way he outlands Pacquiao. Obviously, each fight is different, but per CompuBox, Mike Alvarado landed 38 percent of his power shots against Rios in their April bout. Can you imagine what will happen if Pac-Man lands near 40 percent of his power punches? 

Because Rios doesn’t defend his opponent’s punches, he brings a losing strategy in against a fighter like Pacquiao. As tough as Rios is, I don't like his chances. 

This is a simple but necessary fight for Manny to take. For the first time in a long time, he has to prove he's worthy to re-enter the title picture.

Knocking Rios out in impressive fashion is the only way he can do that. Pac-Man in his prime would blow Rios away, much like he did Antonio Margarito. Rios is a very similar one-dimensional fighter, thus the expectations are high for Pacquiao to impress.

This fight will serve as a barometer that tells us how much Pacquiao has left. If he loses this fight, or is seriously challenged, he must strongly consider walking away from the sport.

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