The fireworks may have started with that now infamous scuffle between the Freddie Roach and members of Brandon Rios‘ training team, but the real explosion is set to happen this weekend when Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring to take on Rios in Macau.
Once regarded as the world’s pound-for-pound champion, Pacquiao heads to the showdown with the younger Rios with a two-fight losing streak hanging over his head. Apparently, those defeats haven’t dissuaded oddsmakers from turning PacMan into an overwhelming favorite against the gun-slingin’, punch-packin’ young gun from Texas.
Most oddsmakers have the Fighting Congressman from the Philippines as a -450 favorite with Rios getting anywhere from +360 to +380. Even with Pacquiao having lost his last two fights, a lot of people still believe that the Filipino still has the power, speed, and skill that helped elevate his status as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.
But Rios isn’t going to be a pushover, either, making him a bonafide live underdog. He doesn’t have nearly the same level of skill that Pacquiao possesses, but the boy can punch with power, enough even to put opponents in serious trouble.
And yes, we all remember how Manny’s last fight ended.
Notwithstanding the fireworks generated by the trainer’s scuffle earlier in the week, the Pacquiao-Rios fight is going to be a barn-burner, one that probably won’t last the distance given how both fighters like to mix it up as soon as the bell rings.
We don’t see this fight lasting long, which also makes a knockout/TKO bet on both sides a nice pick-both-sides offering. But ultimately, for those who love the sport irrespective of the gambling involved, this weekend’s prize fight between an up-and-coming fighter and an iconic figure in the sport is going to deliver the kind of fireworks that can put that trainer’s squabble to shame.
