Here is boxing writer Keith Idec?s inside look at the sport:
FEATURED FIGHT: Manny Pacquiao vs. Brandon Rios. Pacquiao?s first fight since his stunning, sixth-round knockout loss five months ago to Mexican nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez has been scheduled for Nov. 23 in Macau, China. Rios lost his last fight, a 12-round unanimous decision to Mike Alvarado in their rematch March 30 in Las Vegas, but Pacquiao picked Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) over Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) as his next foe because the rugged Rios will come forward and help Pacquiao produce a crowd-pleasing battle. Top Rank Inc., Pacquiao?s promoter, brought the fight to Macau, a popular casino/resort city near Hong Kong because of Pacquiao?s popularity in eastern Asia and because Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KOs) will pay a lot less in taxes from his eight-figure purse than if he fought in Las Vegas or another American city.
LOCAL LOOK: Middleweight prospect John Thompson (11-0, four KOs), a former New Jersey Golden Gloves champion from Newark, is set to oppose Puerto Rico?s Giovany Rodriguez (8-0, five KOs) in an eight-round fight tonight in Miami, Okla. Thompson, 24, should be tested by the left-handed Rodriguez, also 24, in the opening bout of a “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecast scheduled to begin 11 p.m. on Showtime.
THE FINAL BELL: If you were disciplined enough to save your $70 last weekend, you can watch Showtime?s replay of Floyd Mayweather Jr.?s predictably dominant, 12-round win against Robert Guerrero on Saturday night. Beginning at 9 p.m., the network also will rebroadcast the entertaining co-featured fight from the Mayweather-Guerrero undercard, Abner Mares? ninth-round stoppage of Daniel Ponce De Leon. Mares (26-0-1, 14 KOs) dropped De Leon (44-5, 35 KOs) in the second and ninth rounds before referee Jay Nady stopped their scheduled 12-rounder for De Leon?s WBC featherweight title, perhaps hastily, with a distressed De Leon on his feet.
