Arum Looking at June for Brandon Rios, 140 Uncertain

by David P. Greisman

Brandon Rios could come back this June from his November 2013 loss to Manny Pacquiao, and his subsequent suspension for testing positive for a banned substance, according to Top Rank’s Bob Arum.

“We’ve been discussing opponents and dates with him. I just had a conversation with his manager this morning,” Arum told BoxingScene.com on Feb. 28. “We’re not in a position to announce anything yet, but we will have an announcement probably within the next 10 days.”

One bout that is a possibility is a fight with Ruslan Provodnikov. But Arum also said that if a proposed bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado cannot be made, then he would perhaps seek a third fight between Rios and Alvarado, whose rivalry is tied up at one win apiece.

“A lot of balls in the air, but everything will come together in the next two weeks,” Arum said.

One notable issue is that Provodnikov’s team says a Rios fight will only be made if Rios would come back down to junior welterweight to challenge for Provodnikov’s title — and Provodnikov’s team doubts that Rios can make weight.

“He [Rios] says that if he fights Provodnikov, he definitely can get down to 140,” Arum said. “We’ll have to take him to a doctor to see if that’s possible.”

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