By Mr. Pennington: On November 23rd Manny Pacquiao (54-6-1) will face Brandon Rios (31-1-1) in what’s assumed to be a tailor made fight for Pacquiao. The word tailor made can be a bit deceiving in this fight I believe. It would lead you to believe there is no danger involved for Pacquiao, which couldn’t be any further from the truth.
To be honest I think Rios should be considered a stern measure considering the circumstance coming in for Pacquiao. There are many unknowns coming into this fight for Manny. Being in wars in the ring is one thing, we can think of many fighters whose careers were built on fights that could have been had in a phone booth. But not many fighters come to mind when I think of those who have returned from a brutal one punch knockout.
Rios as we know is a limited fighter and the skill set he presents is in theory tailor made for Pacquiao. Rios like Pacquiao is coming off a loss in his previous outing. Rios has made comments recently that lead you to believe that he knows that fans consider him a sacrificial lamb to revive Pacquiao’s public demand. That said we also know that Brandon is coming to fight. Whatever happens, I can’t see this fight lacking fireworks. Whether Pacquiao looks spectacular or not is another matter all itself. The idea is for Brandon to present just enough challenge to appear a threat, while Pacquiao eventually overwhelms him down the stretch in spectacular fashion. Rios on the other hand likely has other plans for November 23rd.
For Rios this is the fight that holds heavy circumstance for his career if not more than Pacquiao. Pacquiao has made enough money to coast into retirement and never look back. For Rios the reality is he will likely have to fight quite a few more times to maintain a living outside of boxing, that’s a given. The question is what kind of fighter he will be after this fight. If Pacquiao goes on to blow through Rios in spectacular fashion, Rios career will now face journeymen status. In my opinion if that were to happen fans will have closed the book on Rios as a competitive attraction. I believe Rios knows this, along with his pride he will come to fight a fighter that he has recently seen be knocked out. If one was in search of anything that could bring confidence that should do. Rios seems to think Pacquiao is ripe for the picking, recent performance has left blood in the water and sharks have started to circle.
Then there’s the issue of Pacquiao’s next opponent. With Juan Marquez still wanting to savor the flavor of the knockout, and really no interest on either side for a Bradley rematch, Pacquiao is left with few options. But he does have one in Ruslan Provonikov; a Provodnikov fight would be risky for Pacquiao and Arum. For Arum in a Pacquiao win he runs the risk of dimming the newly shined star of Provodnikov. For Arum in a Pacquiao loss, and let’s take into consideration in a Pacquiao loss it won’t be by decision. Arum would like only make that move when the Pacquiao train has arrived at its final station. In the eyes of many fans with Provodnikov in need of a fight and Pacquiao likely will be in search of a dance partner, many ask why not. With the “D” word thrown around so readily many have already began to whisper Pacquiao will duck Provodnikov.
With Father Time looming more than ever it seems the search has started for the next big pay day. Will Top Rank be able to lure Marquez into a fifth fight? That remains to be seen, and my guess is that Marquez will continue to savor the taste of a long awaited victory. With not much interest in the Bradley rematch it seems Provodnikov would be the most likely and lucrative fight available. I can see the fight doing over a million buys and being a total thriller. At this point I think fans want to see Pac versus new blood that doesn’t come attached with the stigma of being tailor made.
Provodnikov would in my opinion be a great step in the right direction for Pacquiao. A win over Provodnikov would silence many who have had dislike for his list of recent opponents. A win would reestablish Pacquiao amongst the p4p’s of the world almost erasing any previous blemish. And to the betterment of boxing reignite the talks of a possible fight with Mayweather. I think Pacquiao is in a tough spot as far as what to do in his career. He could just as easy fade into a life of autograph signings and appearances, and live comfortably as a boxing hall of famer. What he will do remains to be seen, time will tell and I’m all ears.
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