Bradley, Foreman, Leonard Back Pacquiao Over Rios

By Jake Donovan

If Brandon Rios thought Max Kellerman was a motherf****r for planning out Manny Pacquiao’s future beyond November 23, then there’s no telling what he might think of some of the past and current stars of the sport picking against him.

Few give the charismatic former lightweight titlist much of a chance to come out victorious against Pacquiao in their upcoming welterweight clash at the Kotai Arena in Macau. The bout marks Rios’ debut as a pay-per-view headliner (albeit as a B-side) as well as his first at the welterweight.

Pacquiao made a name for himself by storming through weight classes and collecting world titles at a record-breaking rate. The same fate isn’t believed to be in Rios’ future, according to select experts associated with the November 23 HBO PPV event.

“I got Manny Pacquiao by mid-rounds KO. Maybe eight rounds,” believes Tim Bradley, the undefeated welterweight titlist who claimed a controversial decision over Pacquiao in their June 2012 bout. “Brandon has a style that suits Manny Pacquiao. Manny throws combination with every shot a death blow. I think (Rios is) a tad bit too slow for Pacquiao and I don’t think he's the best counter puncher.”

Former two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman also has the Filipino southpaw coming out victorious.

“I think this fight is going 12 rounds and will be in the hands of the judges,” believes Foreman, who has served as color commentator for Top Rank’s two previous events in Macau and remains a part of seemingly every Top Rank promotion these days. “I give Pacquiao the hometown decision – or I guess I should say the home region decision (Pacquiao is based in Asia and spent his entire training camp at home in the Philippines, whereas Rios lives and trains in California).”

The wild card in the upcoming welterweight fight is how each fighter reacts to their most recent setback.

Rios enters on the heels of a heartbreaking points loss to Mike Alvarado this past March, the lone defeat of his career. The fight came five months after Rios scored a career-defining 7th round stoppage in their first bout, which was hailed as one of the best scraps of the 2012 boxing season.

Pacquiao hasn’t fought since getting knocked out cold in the 6th round of his epic fourth encounter with Juan Manuel Marquez last December. The question on the minds of many is how he responds to such a devastating loss.

“Rios has to jump out on top of Pacquiao,” insists Sugar Ray Leonard, a former five-division champion and widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. “When you are knocked out in the fashion that Pacquiao was, it becomes like an Achilles heel. But if anyone can block that out, it’s Manny Pacquiao.

“I have to go with Manny Pacquiao, because he wants this so bad.”

While Rios has yet to receive an endorsement from any notable figure in the sport not in his immediate circle, it’s not an industry-wide belief that the fight will be a complete rout.

“It's a tough fight,” believes Marco Antonio Barrera, who twice lost to Pacquiao. “Manny Pacquiao is very fast, has great lateral movement and comes from a lot of angles. Brandon Rios comes straightforward.  It's going to be a tough fight for both of them.”

The scheduled 12-round welterweight bout headlines a four-fight pay-per-view show. The bout is being staged on Sunday morning in Macau, with the time zone difference allowing for the show to air in primetime in the United States (Saturday November 23, 9PM ET, HBO PPV).

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox