Pacquiao vs. Rios Odds: Lines and Prediction for Main Event

The Clash in Cotai is going to live up to its name. 

Yes, Saturday's fight between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will be taking place at the Cotai Arena in Macao. That much is certainly accurate, but it goes beyond that.

"Clash" is defined simply as "a violent confrontation," and with Pac-Man and Bam-Bam being two powerful punchers who are completely comfortable getting into a slugfest, a violent confrontation is exactly what we're going to get. 

Make sure to keep that in mind when making your bets for the anticipated fight. 

Date: Saturday, November 23, 2013

Time: HBO pay-per-view starts at 9 p.m. ET; main event no earlier than 11 p.m. ET

Venue: The Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena, Macao, China

Odds: Pacquiao (-550), Rios (+375), courtesy of Bovada

Over/Under: 9.5 rounds, courtesy of Bovada

The Picks: Pacquiao and "Under"

There will be no upset here. 

Pac-Man is a heavy favorite for a reason. Sure, he is coming off a shocking knockout at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in December, but Rios is coming off a defeat of his own. 

The 27-year-old suffered a unanimous decision loss to Mike Alvarado, and he has looked underwhelming in his last two contests. 

Even if Pacquiao is on the downslope of his career, Rios doesn't possess the same kind of counterpunching skill set that Marquez had to give the legendary Filipino trouble. The 27-year-old American is someone who invites contact rather than worrying about the tactical aspect. 

That plays right into the hands of Pacquiao's potentially lethal combination of hand speed and power. While there are plenty of questions surrounding the 34-year-old's ability at this point in his career, he is still on another level talent-wise than Rios. 

Throw in the majority of the support he'll have from the crowd, and it would be shocking if he lost. 

As for the number of rounds the fight lasts, "under" has to be the pick. 

According to Compubox, both men rank near the top of boxing in punches thrown, punches landed, power punches thrown and power punches landed. 

Mix that slugfest mentality with the fact that both fighters really need a win after their most recent results, and it's the perfect storm for some hard-hitting fireworks. 

I'm always hesitant to bet the "under" in terms of rounds, just because the pace and style of a fight can be so difficult to predict. But if there was ever a clash that was going to end early, it would be this one.