Pacquiao vs. Rios Card Predictions

Welterweight Bout: Brandon Rios (31-1-1) vs. Manny Pacquiao (54-5-2)

Luke Irwin: I’m taking the Marquez knockout as an isolated incident, since JuanMa has had his number for damned near a decade. In one of the weirdest sentences I’ve ever had to write as a combat sports writer, Pacquiao is on a two-fight losing streak. However, I doubt that hurts him here. Rios loves to brawl, and he gets hit an awful lot. The problem for Rios is that this isn’t lightweight anymore. He’s not getting hit by Richard Abril or John Murray. He’s at 147 and Manny can freaking hit. Rios’s best division is lightweight, and he’s fighting one of the best ever in his wheelhouse. Pacquiao via R8 TKO.

Nolan Howell: The big question here is Pacquiao ready to rub foreheads with Rios. I think the answer to that is pretty clear. Pacquiao is just too slick offensively and defensively to get into a brawl with Rios. While Rios certainly still has a future ahead of him, jumping from Mike Alvarado to Manny Pacquiao is like jumping from Division II ball to the pros. It will be a crowd-pleasing fight to send the folks home happy in China as Pacquiao takes Rios to school. Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision.

IBF Featherweight Championship: Evgeny Gradovich (c) (17-0) vs. Billy Dib (36-2)

Luke Irwin: Dib gets another crack at the IBF belt that he lost to Gradovich in March in a large upset. He had defended that belt for almost two years before losing in a razor-thin split-decision to Gradovich, who only had fifteen fights to his name. Dib took care of a quality opponent in Mike Oliver to get back to Gradovich. I think Dib took Gradovich easily and paid the price. He’s the better fighter and takes his belt back here. Dib via UD.

Heavyweight Bout: Andy Ruiz Jr. (20-0) vs. Tor Hamer (21-2)

Luke Irwin: Hey now! Quality heavyweight boxing! This bout is actually for the vacant NABF Heavyweight Championship, which is a great stepping stone for boxers of all weights. Ruiz hasn’t gone past the fourth round in his last five fights, including a first-round TKO over Maurenzo Smith who just took Vinny Maddalone to a majority draw. Hamer is game, but this is Ruiz’s showcase. Ruiz Jr. via R4 TKO.