By Bill "Two Scoops" Emes
Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum, who promotes former champion Brandon Rios, is not confident in Rios' belief that he can make the junior welterweight limit of 140-pounds.
Rios has been pushing for a fight with WBO 140-pound champion Ruslan Provodnikov, who returns to HBO on June 14th.
Provodnikov's promoter, Artie Pelullo, has rejected the idea of facing Rios, because Arum advised him ahead of time that Rios is unable to make 140. Rios last fought as a welterweight, losing a twelve round decision to Manny Pacquiao last November. After the fight, Rios tested positive for a banned substance that assists athletes with losing weight.
Despite the recent history, Rios - during last week's interview with BoxingScene - maintained that he is capable of making 140.
But his promoter disagrees and doesn't want another incident where a fighter fails to make the contract weight.
"There is a big problem there with the weight. Provodnikov wants to fight for his title at 140 and I have no confidence that Rios can make 140," Arum told BoxingScene.com.