ALL EYES ON PACQUIAO AND RIOS TODAY
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 24 Nov 2013
MACAU, China ? Filipino ring sensation Manny Pacquiao battles American Brandon Rios Sunday for the newly-created World Boxing Organization international welterweight crown at the Cotai Arena of the Venetian Macau Resort in this gambling City of Dreams.
What is important though in this 12-round showdown is not the crown at stake but which side the soon-to-be 35-year-old four lineal and eight-division champion Pacquiao will end up.
A victory would signal a new beginning of his dawning career and serves as inspiration to thousands of his countrymen suffering from devastation brought about by the recent super-typhoon to whom he is dedicating the fight.
A defeat, his third in-a-row since 2012, would since most-likely signal the end of his colorful 18-year fighting career. For the 27-summer Oxnard, California-based Rios, also known as ?Bam Bam,? would mean a chance to pursue a more lucrative career that would guarantee him bigger paycheck than the measly $3 million guaranteed him.
Win or lose, Pacquiao, father of four with wife, Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee, assures him $18 million plus, including earnings in the pay-per-view audience coming mostly from the United States.
As in his previous 37 bouts since rising to fame by crowning himself the World Boxing Council flyweight champion, his first in a string of 10, the entire country will come to a standstill in prayer from the time the fight starts at noon until the bell rings signaling the bout is over.
Pacquiao, the odds-on pre-fight favorite, tilt he scale at an ideal 145-pound, his fighting weight in yesterday?s official weigh-in, while Rios, a former world lightweight belt holder, came in at unfamiliar 146.5.
A comfortable win, whether it comes by knockout or decision, is the minimum expectation that can bring him back to big-money fight against a top opponent this summer. A superfight with Mayweather is a possibility no matter how remote it is.
A loss though would bring to fore that his perceived career decline is, indeed,if nhe? knocked out for the second time or by real after he's knocked or by an overwhelming decision.
A victory by Rios, especially via stoppage, makes him an overnight sensation and lines himself up in possible fights with some of the best in the world.
A defeat by any other means won?t adversely affect his standing. Nobody really expects him to win so people won't hold it against him too much if he loses.
As veteran sportscaster Larry Merchant put it, whatever the outcome will be, it?s Pacquiao?s career that will bear much attention on the strength of his back-to-back setbacks suffered last year, especially that stunning KO to arch nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez last year. Many great fighters, including Roberto Duran, Lennox Lewis, and Vladimir Klitschko, to mention a few have succeeded in vaulting back from being brutally knocked out at some point of their career to continue with their callings even winning championship after championship.
As many, too, like Roy Jones Jr., winner of four belts in as many division, failed in their come back attempts following losses via stoppage.
The big question mark, therefore, is which side of the coin will Pacquiao fall? The answer will depend on how the three-time Fighter of the Year and Fighter of the Decade honoree by the Boxing Writers Association of America took his feared career-ending defeat to Marquez.
If his handlers, led by chief trainer Freddie Roach, are to be believed, that loss, coming on the heels of a controversial split decision to Tim Bradley six months prior, was not so devastating because their prized student was actually leading on points when the end came a fraction of a second left.
?What cost Manny the fight was one big mistake which he paid dearly for. He came a second short of winning,? Roach told his audience during the Round Table discussion with members of media Friday. Even wife Jinkee attested that she, their children and employees of what is becoming vast Manny Pacquiao business empire never saw a trace that the Filipino ring hero was affected by his defeat to the Mexican legend.
Pacquiao himself showed no effect with the way he conducted himself in the nine weeks of his preparations since pitching camp at the Pacman Wild Card Gym in General Santos City.
?Being knocked out is part of the game,? Pacquiao himself argued. ?Dumadating yan, lalo na sa boksing. Kung ayaw mong matalo by KO, huwag ka na lang mag-boksing.?
Jones agreed, saying, ?usually when it happens, you never saw ther apunch coming. If it happens too many times, maybe it?s time to stop. We always know getting knocked out is a possibility. Manny knows that.?
Roach and his counterpart in the Rios camp, Robert Garcia both expressed confidence their ward will win with the former declaring ?Manny?s well prepared and that he?ll destroy the guy(Rios).? Garcia refused to say how his pupil will pull one over his explosive opponent win except to say that Rios ?is younger, stronger and faster to a man whose career looks on the decline.?
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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