Manny Pacquiao vs Brandon Rios Live Fight Online, Date, TV Schedule, Odds, PPV Information
After months of speculation, Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios will finally duke it out inside the ring this Saturday at Venetian Macao in Macau, China.
Pacquiao is all set to kick off his road to redemption, and it will all start in a testy battle with the former lightweight champion in the gambling capital of Asia.
Major betting sites put the eight-division world champion as the overwhelming favorite to win the match at -450, while the hard-hitting Rios is pegged at -370.
These bookies also believe the fight will end in a knockout, likely in the ninth round. The over and under has been set at 9.5 rounds with over at plus 135 and under at minus-160.
Bad Blood Will Prevail
Pacquiao insisted that Wednesday's scuffle between his chief trainer, Freddie Roach, and training staff of Rios--led particularly by reigning trainer of the year Robert Garcia and disgruntled conditioning guru Alex Ariza--did not bother him at all.
The Filipino champ, who converted into a Born Again Christian last year, even encouraged everyone during the press conference to forgive and forget because it's just a sport and there's nothing personal about his upcoming rumble with Rios.
Apparently, no one took Pacquiao's peacemaking speech seriously, as almost all boxing analysts believe the former pound-for-pound king will be unleashing his brutality on Fight Night.
Looking to erase the painful memory of his sixth round KO loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao will no doubt gun for a sensational win over Rios. In perhaps one of the longest training camps of his career, Pacman wants to make sure that his sacrifices will pay off in the ring by getting that superb win on Saturday.
On the other hand, Rios also underwent rigorous training, thanks to the inclusion of Ariza to their camp. Ariza, who had an unceremonious split with Team Pacquiao, had some sort of revenge earlier this week after landing a kick on the chest of Roach, the man behind his firing from Pacman's corner, during Wednesday's rumble at Venetian Gym.
With both fighters harboring grudges against each other, this fight is expected to be as good as advertized with plenty of fireworks ahead. In a match between two sensational brawlers, only one man with a strong chin and a perfect game plan will survive the carnage.
Pay-per-View Fight Card via SB Nation
Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2; 38 KOs) vs. Brandon Rios (31-1-1; 22 KOs) - Welterweight (147 lbs)
Evgeny Gradovich (17-0; 8 KOs) vs. Billy Dib (36-2; 21 KOs) - Featherweight (126 lbs)
Andy Ruiz Jr. (20-0; 14 KOs) vs. Tor Hamer (21-2; 14 KOs) - Heavyweight
Zou Shiming (2-0; 0 KOs) vs. Juan Toscano (4-0; 1 KO) - Flyweight (112 lbs)
Felix Verdejo (8-0; 6 KOs) vs. Duanaaymukdahan Petchsamuthr (8-1; 1 KO) - Junior Lightweight (130 lbs)
Live Discusion & PPV Schedule
Coverage of Pacquiao vs. Rios: Battle in Cotai will start at 9 a.m EST Saturday on HBO Pay-Per-View. A discussion Thread will be available on SB Nation while ESPN veteran boxing analyst Dan Rafael will provide blow-by-blow breakdown of the fight on his Twitter account.