Pacquiao vs. Rios Prize Money: Breaking Down Fight Purse and Fighter Payouts

Make no mistake that when Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao and Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios go at it in Macau, China, on Saturday, the world will largely be tuning in to see how Pacquiao fares after consecutive losses.

Pac-Man remains one of the biggest draws in boxing, and the reported purse for the fight confirms that.

According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Pacquiao's guaranteed earnings for the fight are more than four times what Rios will make, and Pacquiao's $18 million purse could turn into a cool $30 million, depending upon the result, the gate and the pay-per-view buys:

While this may seem severely unbalanced to those who aren't familiar with the way fight purses work, there is no question that it makes sense since Pacquiao is the one who is going to drive the bulk of the revenue.

Rios is obviously a talented fighter with the potential to become a big star in the sport should he defeat Pacquiao, but until that happens, he'll have to play second fiddle to one of the best fighters of this generation. With that said, $4 million is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a guy who lacks a true signature win.

Pacquiao's $30 million purse would be massive if it pans out, but it still pales in comparison to the one that rival Floyd Mayweather pulled in for his clash with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez back in September.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, Mayweather made a record $41.5 million off of that fight, which saw him systematically destroy his young opponent:

For comparison's sake, Alvarez was guaranteed $5 million, per Rafael. That is obviously quite close to the $4 million that Rios is expected to make on Saturday, but Alvarez actually earned closer to $12 million based on the considerable amount of revenue that his battle with Mayweather generated.

Aside from that, it's important to consider the fact that Alvarez was considered to be the next big thing in boxing ahead of his fight with Mayweather. Alvarez had a few impressive wins under his belt prior to that fight, having defeated the likes of Shane Mosley and Austin Trout.

Rios doesn't have that same track record of success, and he actually enters Saturday's tilt coming off a loss to Mike Alvarado. Things can change quite quickly in boxing, though, and a victory over Pacquiao would instantly lift Rios to superstar status.

Iole didn't divulge how much more money Rios is in line to make if he defeats Pacquiao, but conventional wisdom suggests it would be a significant increase. Rios' camp knows that, and perhaps that is why it got into a scuffle with Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach on Tuesday, as seen in this photo courtesy of Top Rank Boxing.

Pacquiao is a prohibitive favorite, but if Rios' camp can't get into the head of Pacquiao and his trainer, it may give the underdog a psychological advantage. Rios will need all the help that he can get as Pac-Man tries to avenge losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, but he certainly isn't a pushover by any means.

There is a ton on the line for both fighters in this contest. A win would reestablish Pacquiao as one of the sport's elite fighters while a loss would intensify questions about his potential retirement. As for Rios, a victory would give him instant credibility while a loss may prevent him from ever securing another high-profile fight.

Above all else, there is a lot of money to be won and lost. Pacquiao and Rios should be set for life—regardless of how the fight plays out, but neither is going to rest on their laurels with so much there for the taking.

Money can be a great motivating factor, and that will be on full display Saturday night in China.

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