Manny Pacquiao's big return to the ring against Brandon Rios in Macau, China, on Saturday night (9 p.m. ET; 10 a.m. on Sunday in China).
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Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO) was once considered the pound-for-pound best fighter in all of boxing. He was a buzzsaw, running through quality opponent after quality opponent on his way to the top. But his star has diminished greatly over the past year. Consecutive defeats—controversially against Timothy Bradley, and decisively against Juan Manuel Marquez—have left the Filipino icon badly in need of a victory.
Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO) is a former lightweight and junior welterweight world champion. He's best known for his two-fight series with Mike Alvarado and his all-action, little defense style in the ring. Many are discounting his chances of winning, but that's extremely dangerous when you have a fighter as tough and determined as "Bam Bam."
So consider yourself armed. All you'll need to know about Pacquiao vs. Rios is contained within. Here we ask questions, make speculations and give you the top storylines for Saturday night's huge main event!
* Roach says that Pacquiao has completely taken himself out of Congress to train for the fight. Good for boxing, but is it good government? Imagine a U.S. congressman taking a hiatus to purse something like acting?
* Robert Garcia should be proud of the team and gym he assembled. Longevity will determine where he - and his gym - rate. Boxing is cyclical. The Kronk Gym was on top. Gleason's Gym was on top. And now, The Wild Card has been on top for quite a few years. If Rios beats Pacquiao, it's doesn't necessarily mean that Roach or the Wild Card have been relegated to second place.
* The fact that strength coach Alex Ariza is now in Rios' camp will have no bearing on the fight's outcome. And if Ariza was shouting instructions from the corner, as Roach said, then he should have been dismissed. The hiring of Ariza by Team Rios seems more like a psychological jab than anything else.
* Interesting that Pacquiao trained the entire time in General Santos City. Will see if that makes a difference. He says the people around him motivated him, much like the people of Zaire once motivated Muhammad Ali when he beat George Foreman. Will see if that also makes a difference.
* Good back story on how Robert Garcia opened his home to Rios when Rios was still an amateur and moved out West from Kansas. You hear that all the time in boxing, not so much in other sports.
* Narrator Liev Schreiber's credit once again appeared alone, on a black screen prior to the start of the show. Once again, this has to be HBO's way of saying to Showtime, "He was ours first!" Schreiber has long been HBO's voice of 24/7 and some of its finest sports documentaries.