Brandon Rios: Such A Major Struggle To Train That I Nearly Quit Boxing Few Weeks Ago

[F!x]

Rios says that as soon as the Bradley fight was offered to him he immediately entered training after having spent almost a year lounging around doing nothing and abandoning all basic exercise. The first 3 weeks were so difficult that Rios almost quit the sport of boxing altogether.

[alexguiness]

I like Rios, but any professional fighter who cannot motivate themselves to maintain fitness and lead (at least) a basic healthy lifestyle doesn't deserve a licence IMO.

You can retire in your thirties with a decent amount of money behind you then party all you want.

[frosty-g]

Thing is he isn't a professional is he
He can't even be bothered to to box properly yet it's supposedly his profession
There's nothing professional about Rios in any way
He's a half decent fighter nothing above that

[Ray Corso]

Brandon is a likeable kid and when he's in great shape he comes to fight.
He is at the stage where he can get hurt if he's not matched correctly, Bradley will be in condition and his work rate will be high and that Brandon challenge, can he work with Tim? If it comes down to attrition Tim has the edge but both of these young men are at the stage where their best is behind them. Who falls further behind in this bout will loose.
Both have tasted alot of abuse and being tough and rough doesn't mean as much at their ages. Like them both!

Ray.

[F!x]

I like Rios, but any professional fighter who cannot motivate themselves to maintain fitness and lead (at least) a basic healthy lifestyle doesn't deserve a licence IMO.

You can retire in your thirties with a decent amount of money behind you then party all you want.

Rios sounds genuinely disillusioned with Top Rank. 2 fights in 2 years so I can see why. He seems to me like a boxer who needs to stay active with fights in order to stay motivated and concentrated on fitness. It's like that for some fighters - without an arranged fight date it's difficult to try to focus on an imaginary opponent.

It sounds like retirement might not be too far off with the way he's sounding here.

[Eastcoast]

You want to motivate Brandon to train, book him the Victor Ortiz fight.

[F!x]

You want to motivate Brandon to train, book him the Victor Ortiz fight.

In the interview tonight it sounds like even the Ortiz fight isn't enough to motivate him now.

During the ring-walk I got the strong impression that Brandon already had it in his mind that this was his last fight. The way he was walking around the ring, breathing in the atmosphere in a sort of foreboding manner, it appeared as if he knew it would be his last appearance in the ring so he was savoring it for the last time.

[lizard_man]

Bradley did beat an over the hill Rios. we'll see how he does against Ali.

[Rudiamonds]

Pretty sad interview

[NW1]

In the interview tonight it sounds like even the Ortiz fight isn't enough to motivate him now.

During the ring-walk I got the strong impression that Brandon already had it in his mind that this was his last fight. The way he was walking around the ring, breathing in the atmosphere in a sort of foreboding manner, it appeared as if he knew it would be his last appearance in the ring so he was savoring it for the last time.

I agree with that, i think he already knew he was done. Look at his comments during this training camp about wanting to quit.

I said in another thread, he reminded me of an old Hatton from his comeback fight in there tonight. His body didn't look like a fighters anymore, it just wasn't the same. Being dropped the way he did, and Hatton was a similar kind of body shot by a fighter that wouldn't have put a dent in them in the past. You could see what he wanted to do at times and he just couldn't do it anymore. Bradley did a great job and was part of the reason but i don't think Rios could have beaten any real decent fighter tonight. It just isn't there anymore. It is what it is.

I think he already knew he was done but took the fight for a last shot to make sure and the money, and the reality set in very quickly in the ring and they knew it was over.