BRANDON RIOS WHAT NOW?

The guy really doesn't look like much. He has one of those deceptive Juan Diaz physiques and he hasn't fought anyhting resembling a top fighter yet. But he has some things that really stand out. In no order.

-He is a big 135. 5'9, and a 70 inch reach.
-He seems to be a skilled weight cutter. He walked into the ring tonight as a freaking junior middleweight! That is THREE divisions above lightweight.
-He is very, very fit. He topped out at 130+ punches in a round and never took a labored breath.
-He understands what he's doing. He has more than a little craft with his footwork, his upper body movement when he is inside and his ability to punch in combination while staying balanced. This kid is NOT some unskilled banger.
-He is hard as nails. Ever see anybody take repeated low blows more willingly or get back in the action more quickly?
-He talks like a fighter

Now I don't want to get ahead of myself. Anthony Peterson is not remotely a top quality guy. Nowhere close despite his #5 ranking. But Rios did what he should and wrecked him. I went back and watched a couple of other of his fights and he is clearly technically progressing.

So now what? Seems to me he oughtta be testing himself against the second part of the 135 top ten. How about a guy like Robert Guerrero?

I'd love to see him and Miguel Vazquez or Urbano Antillon.

captainanddew wrote:

I'd love to see him and Miguel Vazquez or Urbano Antillon.

Vazquez would be a good opponent for several reasons. Vazquez is a Margarito associate and he's probably used to seeing aggressive pressure styles like Margarito and Segura. He himself is a pretty solid boxer and prefers the stick and move approach.

This could get very interesting because Vazquez has had a lot of success beating the big punch, little skill type fighters like Prescott and Kim, (he probably gets lots of sparring with similar style fighters), but it looks like as marble brought up, Rios is actually has some subtleties in his craft, unlike the two mentioned before.

I believe Rios is a mandatory for Miguel Acosta, the number 3 ranked fighter by Ring.

Whats the back story of Rios and Ortiz? I know Vargas don't like Ortiz for some reason and Rios is working with the Garcia family out of Oxnard, but whats the deal with those two?

Soto, Acosta, or Antillon would be ideal

He called out Soto, is Acosta's mandatory, and was previously going to fight Antillon before getting cut in training

nano212 wrote:

Whats the back story of Rios and Ortiz? I know Vargas don't like Ortiz for some reason and Rios is working with the Garcia family out of Oxnard, but whats the deal with those two?

Vargas has beef with Ortiz? Well he did quit didn't he. Vargas probably thinks Ortiz "isn't a real Mexican" or something like that.

I think Garcia was training Ortiz for a while and had some nasty falling out with him

I'm impressed with quite a few things about Rios. Those little half steps to his right & then throwing the left hook flush to Peterson's face were exquisite. His stamina & aggressiveness were impressive also. I'd love to see him in there with Soto or Acosta or maybe even Funeka. Hell, if he can make weight they should pair him up with Guzman.

That screaming thing was pretty annoying.

I say right now he looked like he is ready for anyone. He made Peterson look like an amature. That shows you he is a top level guy IMO.

soonermark890 wrote:

I say right now he looked like he is ready for anyone. He made Peterson look like an amature. That shows you he is a top level guy IMO.

You could be right. I was not impressed at all by Peterson, but in a division where Michael Katsidis is the #1 contender? You could well be right.

What now is a Tapia-Romero type fight with Victor Ortiz.

Rep yo hood!

SlickMoneyXL wrote:

What now is a Tapia-Romero type fight with Victor Ortiz.

Rep yo hood!

One of really electric fight scenes I can recall.

In the Tapia corner between rounds

Trainer: You're DOING it!

Tapia: WE'RE doing it!

Canvas wrote:

That screaming thing was pretty annoying.

You'd be screaming like that if you got punched in the nuts that many times

Canvas wrote:

That screaming thing was pretty annoying.

+1

NJBeatdown86 wrote:

I think Garcia was training Ortiz for a while and had some nasty falling out with him

Did a little reading around and that's probably what it was. Rios is being loyal to his trainer and trainer's family. I heard a recent interview where Rios just BLASTS Ortiz, saying he is a runner, calling his story phony and all sorts of stuff, and cusses him out. It was on Boxingscene's show Leave it in the Ring. I'm finding a lot on Rios hating Ortiz but I don't know if Ortiz returns those feelings. Hope someone interviews him about it lol.

Rios called Victor out at a 138 catchweight hahahaha. This could be a good fight down the road.

marbleheadmaui wrote:

soonermark890 wrote:

I say right now he looked like he is ready for anyone. He made Peterson look like an amature. That shows you he is a top level guy IMO.

You could be right. I was not impressed at all by Peterson, but in a division where Michael Katsidis is the #1 contender? You could well be right.

I dont see anyone in the top 10 who just blows him out of the water right now do you? I dont see him beating JMM or Katsidis yet but he could give those two a fight. I was impressed by him. He is blessed right now with a weak division. Its not stacked like some of the other lower weight classes. I cant wait until 140 heats up BTW.

Anyone know how long Funeka is gone for using diuretics? Because I'm thinking if he needed "assistance" in cutting weight we may not see him back at 135 anymore.

Brandon Rios vs Humberto Soto !!!!!

Ali_1748 wrote:

Brandon Rios vs Humberto Soto !!!!!

That sounds like a fun fight. From what I saw out of Rios I would take Rios in that fight.

He definitely deserves attention. He put on a great fight.

I don't think he'll be a top guy though. Not too many guys at 135 are going to try and stand and trade with him when he comes in at 150 on fight night. He can beat anyone, but I think he'll get outboxed or his body will breakdown before he can become a star.

Gumby wrote:

He definitely deserves attention. He put on a great fight.

I don't think he'll be a top guy though. Not too many guys at 135 are going to try and stand and trade with him when he comes in at 150 on fight night. He can beat anyone, but I think he'll get outboxed or his body will breakdown before he can become a star.

I watched the fight again last night. He's very good offensively, but he did a pretty good job of introducing his face to peterson's hands. Guys who get hit 30 times a round don't last very long. Especially when 20 of them are power punches.