Pacquiao vs Rios: Brandon Rios expects to be fit at 147, looking to dominate

Brandon Rios figures that not having to cut weight past 147 pounds will give him a new edge when he faces Manny Pacquiao on November 23 in Macau, and he's aiming to dominate the fight in what is his biggest career opportunity.

Rios, 27, lost his last fight on March 30, when he was outpointed by Mike Alvarado on 12 rounds. Despite the defeat, his fan friendly-style and vulnerability made him an ideal opponent for Pacquiao, 34, who is coming off of two straight losses, one a definitive knockout defeat against Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight.

"I'm moving up in weight, so I don't have to kill myself. I'll have better muscle tone and better everything. But you know what? I'm going to be ready. Pacquiao is no joke. I'm getting ready for the the best Pacuqiao ever," said Rios.

"But like I've been telling everybody, it's my time. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I've been promised Pacquiao or Marquez, Marquez or Pacquiao for the longest time. Now, I've got Pacquiao, and I'm going to take this opportunity to go out and to dominate in every way that I can to come out victorious."

Rios (31-1-1, 23 KO) would get a huge career boost with a win in this fight, even considering that Pacquiao (54-5-2, 38 KO) isn't quite the hot property that he used to be. It would still be easily a career-best win for Rios, and the sort of thing that could propel him into another big-time fight.