Pacquiao vs. Rios 2013: How Bam Bam Could Have Made Fight More Competitive

Somehow Lisa Giampa and Manfred Kuechler awarded Brandon Rios one and two rounds, respectively, in Saturday's one-sided loss to Manny Pacquiao in Macau, China. The official judge, Michael Pernick, scored it as I did at 120-108, a complete shutout.

I don't think there was any real chance Rios could have won this fight, but there were a few things he could have done to make the fight more competitive. We'd have to go back months to catch the spots where Rios first went wrong.

Too Much Love and Too Much Respect

I'm all for respecting your opponents, but when it seems as though you're in awe of the moment and opportunity and you're simply happy to be there, that disposition doesn't usually lead to success in the ring. From the time the promotion for the fight began, Rios did more smiling and posing for pictures with his opponent than anything.

For Pacquiao, this type of activity is of no consequence. He is massively experienced and he has the proverbial switch. He can flip it on and off, and he was extremely focused and prepared for this bout.

Rios was physically prepared, but he never seemed like he carried the requisite anger or disdain needed to pull a major upset.

Were he the better athlete and boxer perhaps this wouldn't have been necessary, but as a huge underdog, he needed to be nastier in the pre-fight festivities to set a tone for himself and Pacquiao.

Angering Pacquiao may seem like a bad idea, but in this case it was Rios' best approach. Perhaps an angry Pacquiao would have gone into the ring obsessed with knocking Rios out. In the process, he might have given Rios a few more opportunities to land. As it was, Pacquiao looked like he was in a workout, not a fight. 

He was content to stick and move because there was no real sense of urgency to knock Rios out. The two seemed to really like each other. That was fine for Pacquiao but bad for Rios.

Trash Talking in the Ring and a Chippy Disposition

Aside from sticking out his tongue after taking a few hard shots, Rios never appeared to try to get into Pacquiao's head. Likewise, he didn't give Pac-Man any light bumps as the two walked back to their corners, nor did he hold on for an extended period of time between exchanges.

These are all antagonistic tactics that a lesser-talented fighter might have to employ in an attempt to level the playing field.

Rios instead took his beating in stride and made the fight even easier for Pacquiao than most expected.

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