MACAU?There will be a total of 10 fights with the first bell sounding off at 8 a.m. The main event is pegged as the ninth fight and should start around 11 a.m. depending of course, on how long the undercard fights take to finish.
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SCENARIOS. Here are three possible scenarios that might take place today.
Both fighters size each other up in the middle of the ring, but it is Manny who draws first blood with his patented left straight which lands smack on Rios? mouth.
Rios flashes a huge grin and motions for Manny to bring it on. The Pacman obliges and continues to pummel Rios with a left hand through the next three rounds that can?t seem to miss.
In the fourth round, Rios begins to spit blood in his corner and trainer Robert Garcia implores him to be more active.
Rios? wakes up in the fifth round and connects with a few clubbing punches giving his fans some small measure of hope. However, he is too painfully slow to be effective and by the time the round ends, Manny has taken control again, pummeling Rios along the ropes to steal the round.
In the sixth, Manny begins targeting the body and Rios starts to wither. A brutal barrage punctuated by a shot to the liver has Rios taking a knee.
He gets up at 8 and soldiers on. Manny, still one of the best finishers in the game sets up the coup de grace with a double jab and unleashes a left that ?Hattonizes? Rios with 5 seconds left in the round.
MANNY BY KO in the 6th round
Scenario 2. Both men skip the perfunctory feeling out period by unloading bombs in the first round. Manny gets the better of Brandon as his speed allows him to get off first, but Rios lands his fair share of leather.
Rios is cut in the second round, but it only seems to embolden him as he disregards the oncoming artillery and freely trades with Manny.
Pacquiao scores a knockdown in the third with a short crisp right hook. Brandon gets up at five and doesn?t seem hurt.
In the fourth and fifth rounds, Brandon regains some momentum as he lands some hooks, as Manny seems to be taking a breather.
Pacquiao regains his second wind and takes the sixth and seventh rounds by exhibiting lateral movement and darting in and out of harm?s way.
Rios roars back in the eighth round with a left hook that catches Manny coming off a clinch and knocks him down.
He gets up at five, seemingly shaken. Rios tries to follow up with a spirited offensive spurt but Manny wisely defuses his attempts by clinching and tying him up.
In the ninth round, Manny lands a left straight that knocks Brandon down. The latter gets up at 8 and shakes his head.
They exchange bombs and the bell rings to end a potential round of the year candidate
In the 10th round, Rios catches a tiring Manny with a right hand along the ropes and the latter covers up, visibly hurt. Rios pummels Manny along the ropes, and connects with a brutal barrage.
A despondent Freddie Roach throws in the towel, afraid that his prized ward might suffer permanent damage, as he recollects that brutal Juan Manuel Marquez knockout.
A bewildered Manny begins to protest but the ref waives it off giving Rios a controversial 10th round TKO victory.
Scenario 3. Rios comes out swinging for the fences, but Manny opts to box and takes the first three rounds easily.
He makes Rios miss wildly and his footwork has ?Bam-bam? looking slow and clueless.
The domination continues in the middle rounds with Rios hardly landing anything of consequence.
Rios tries some rough- housing tactics in the ninth round, and attempts to bully Manny along the ropes. The crowd boos its displeasure and Manny responds by cracking Brandon with a left that opens up a cut.
Manny brutalizes Brandon in the championship rounds, but to the latter?s credit his resiliency and iron chin are on full display.
The fight ends with Brandon?s face transformed into a bloody mask, while an unmarked Manny earns a unanimous decision win.
LAST ROUND. It?s on a good buddy, Reyboy Aleonar, who celebrates his birthday this weekend. Cheers!
