One of the most decorated fighters in the long history of boxing is set to return to competitive action in 6 months' time.
According to Yahoo Sports, eight-division world champion fighter Manny Pacquiao will step inside the ropes on November 24th where he'll meet Brandon Rios.
The fight will be held at the CotaiArena at the Venetian Macao-Resort in Macau, China. While the bout will air on November 24th in China, viewers in the United States will see the contest on November 23rd.
Bob Arum - chairman of the Top Rank company promoting the fight - wanted a bout that would excite those in attendance and the millions more watching from home. Pairing up two fighters with loads of career success should help the Top Rank promoter achieve his goal.
"We want to get the people a really good, exciting action fight," Arum told the Star Tribune. "Rios is an exciting fighter, so it's a good matchup."
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The November bout should indeed be a great match-up to watch when you consider what both participants have on the line.
34-year-old Manny Pacquiao will enter his first bout since dropping back-to-back fights for the first time in his 19-year professional career. Pacquiao was defeated first by American Timothy Bradley in June of 2012 and then by long-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez 6 months later.
With an overall record of 54-5-2 including 38 knockouts, Pacquiao and those in his corner know the former pound-for-pound king will be ready to go come November.
"Manny is definitely going to get his mojo back with this fight," trainer Freddie Roach told ESPN. "I think it'll be an exciting fight but that Manny is going to land in the pocket at some point and knock this guy out somewhere along the way."
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Rios, the 27-year-old from Lubbock, Texas will also go into this match coming off a loss. The defeat at the hands of Mike Alvarado was the first defeat Rios suffered in 33 career bouts.
With the tremendous spotlight placed on this bout and the fact that Rios can hand Manny Pacquiao a third-consecutive defeat, Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz knows the young Rios will be ready for a battle.
"Rios isn't going to get in there and dance around and run around," Koncz told Yahoo Sports. "He's going to come to fight. He'll move straight forward and try to brawl with Manny, and that's the kind of fight that will be very entertaining for the fans."
The two fighters enter the bout with tons of legitimacy as far as their careers are concerned.
From February 2011 through December 2011, Rios was the Lightweight champion of the world while Manny Pacquiao has built a tremendous resume for himself over the years.
A native of the Philippines, Pacquiao has been dominant for most of his career, earning 10 World Titles and World Championships in 8 different divisions. The Boxing Writers Association of America also listed Pacquiao as the Fighter of the Decade for the 2000's.
When November 24th rolls around, all eyes around the Boxing universe will be focused on Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios.
While the hype for this bout will continue to grow, the fight itself has the potential to be one for the ages as both fighters look to get back in the win column and add to their already stellar career marks.
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