by Cliff Rold
It’s a southern California showdown in Las Vegas and a chance for two men to carve where they are in absence of another.
With the retirement of Floyd Mayweather still a thing (we’ll see how long that lasts), 147 lbs. is looking for a new leader. This clash won’t give it one. What we will get is an assessment of where both might fall in the new pecking order.
Boxing, especially in this division, remains essentially in a state of parallel leagues. The Bradley-Rios winner, as long as they are with Top Rank, isn’t going to be a factor on the PBC side of the equation with the likes of Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, and Shawn Porter. UK-based IBF titlist Kell Brook seems the lone fighter able to play on both sides of the fence. Rios-Brook was already almost made. If Bradley wins, there is the possibility of a third fight with Manny Pacquiao.
We can’t know how the future will unfold. All that can be done, for now, is get ready for the fight at hand. It looks like it could be a good one.
Let’s go the report card.
The Ledgers
Timothy Bradley
Age: 32
Titles: WBO Welterweight (2015-Present, 1st Attempted Defense)
Previous Titles: WBC Super Lightweight (2008-09, 2 Defenses; 2011); WBO Super Lightweight (2009-11, 4 Defenses); WBO Welterweight (2012-14, 2 Defenses)
Height: 5’6
Weight: 146 lbs.
Hails from: Palm Springs, California
Record: 32-1, 12 KO
Rankings: #2 (BoxingScene, TBRB, ESPN), #4 (Ring), #6 (BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 10-1, 1 KO, 1 No Contest
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 11 (Miguel Vazquez UD10; Junior Witter UD12; Kendall Holt UD12; Nate Campbell NC3; Lamont Peterson UD12; Devon Alexander TD10; Joel Casamayor TKO8; Manny Pacquiao SD12, L12; Ruslan Provodnikov UD12; Juan Manuel Marquez SD12; Jessie Vargas UD12)
Vs.
Brandon Rios
Age: 29
Title: None
Previous Titles: WBA Lightweight (2011, 1 Defense)
Height: 5’8
Weight: 147 lbs.
Hails from: Oxnard, California
Record: 33-2-1, 24 KO
Rankings: #9 (BoxingScene, ESPN, BoxRec), #10 (TBRB)
Record in Major Title Fights: 2-0, 2 KO (2-1, 2 KO including interim title fights)
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 4 (Miguel Acosta TKO10; Richar Abril SD12; Mike Alvarado TKO7, L12, RTD3; Manny Pacquiao L12)
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Bradley B+; Rios B
Pre-Fight: Power – Bradley B-; Rios B+
Pre-Fight: Defense – Bradley B; Rios B-
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Bradley A; Rios B+
Rios appeared to have a harder time making weight on Friday than Bradley did but, with over 24 hours to rehydrate, any harm should be mitigated. Expect Rios to be the heavier man on Saturday night (HBO, 9:30 PM EST). Will that be a factor?
It could be.
Bradley has always been someone that can be found at close quarters and he’s taken even more punishment since moving from 140 to 147 lbs. He was in bad shape in the final round of the Vargas fight and no one has forgotten how close to the brink he was taken by Ruslan Provodnikov. Rios has the sort of tenacity and power to duplicate some of what worked for the Siberian banger.
He might not have quite the single shot power of Provodnikov though so he’s going to have to land more and be there for the whole fight. Rios was never better than he was during his brief reign of terror at 135 lbs. walking through Anthony Peterson and overcoming an early deficit against Acosta. In those fights, Rios overwhelmed faster, more skilled pros. Bradley is both of those things.
Can Bradley be overwhelmed? Will his ring identity be an issue on Saturday? Does Bradley know what that is right now?
Enter Teddy Atlas.
The one-time trainer of Michael Moorer and Alexander Povetkin is mostly a TV talker these days but Bradley has him back in the corner. After a career with Joel Diaz, Bradley left his trainer in an acrimonious split and has made a point of praising Atlas at Diaz’s expense. Bradley doesn’t have any fights to back those boasts yet. Will a desire to prove his words true make him more disciplined or more engaging?
We won’t know until Saturday but what Bradley has always done right seems to favor him here. Bradley is a good inside fighter who gets off plenty of punches and can use his legs. He was widely outboxing Vargas last out and managed the difficult trick of outboxing Juan Manuel Marquez not long ago.
Rios is something different. Bradley doesn’t have the same sort of fluid athleticism and footwork a Pacquiao has. He’s not going to do to Rios what Pacquiao did. Rios, even against a Pacquiao regrouping from a knockout loss, couldn’t get anything going in their fight. Rios is a flatfooted guy and Pacquiao worked circles around him. Bradley won’t find it as easy but smart movement and countering could produce similar winning results.
Defensively, both are hittable but Rios is more so. He rolls with punches but takes plenty. He’ll have to take on Saturday to execute his only way to victory. He can’t outbox Bradley. He has to get close, bang the body, and make every pound count. Bradley has to stay at range or he gives Rios chances.
In terms of intangibles, both men have a lot to say for themselves. Rios has a dependable chin and is willing to suffer to win. Against Bradley, there is little threat he will be stopped so it may embolden him. His preparation hasn’t always been what it could be but when he’s focused, he’s a handful.
Bradley has seen just about every style and survived a wide range of adversity. He’s come off the floor to win, gone on the road, and succeeded as an underdog. He always shows up in incredible shape and while he can be hurt his recuperative and survival abilities are top notch. At 32, with a lot of hard rounds, it remains to be seen how long he can continue to operate at his best level. He’ll enter with every reason to believe he has the seasoning and maturity to endure even if a larger Rios is successful getting to his body.
The Pick
The Bradley corner will be part of the story but shouldn't be. Teddy Atlas, in one camp, isn’t going to dramatically remake Bradley. It’s not clear why he would want to. Maybe Bradley can tighten his defense back up but the fighter he’s been doesn’t have much room to grow. This is a fighter who has been able to beat all but one of the all-time greats in Pacquiao (and he even did that once with great controversy). Rios has slow feet and Bradley can exploit that unless he gets sucked into a war. Bradley’s fighting spirit won’t allow him to avoid some exchanges but he’s not going to stay put all night and tempt fate. If Bradley boxes smart, this fight should be a challenging but clear win for Bradley no matter who seconds him. Expect enough smart boxing to carry the night.
Report Card and Staff Picks 2015: 80-22
Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com
