By Miguel Rivera
Former world champion Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios (32-2-1, 23KOs) wants to prove he is still one of the most dangerous fighters in boxing. Returning from back to back defeats to Mike Alvarado and Manny Pacquiao, he has a tough HBO televised assignment with Argentina's Diego "La Joya" Chaves (23-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled ten round welterweight fight on Saturday August 2, at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
"I know a lot of people think I'm already done and I'm not going to be a world champion again, but I know I still have what it takes to return to the top and I will prove it," Rios said. "The most important example of my desire to return to the top is my opponent. I could have returned against an opponent who was easier and got a win, but I didn't want anything easy. I wanted something that people would enjoy and I think this is one of those fights."
"I am hungry to return to the ring. I've had eight months without a fight. I was hungry to get back in the gym to prepare myself for the fight and I plan to leave my heart and soul in the ring. The fight against Alvarado was very close and I felt that I won, but honestly it wasn't easy against Pacquiao. He is very fast and I could never get him to stop and fight. [Chaves is] a fight that I have to win."
