Bookie’s Delight: Why Bradley vs Rios WBO Welterweight Title Bout Must Be Saved
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Las Vegas, NV (September 4, 2015)– The good things in life are not free. Likewise, like the book Great Expectations, great things were expected in a spectacular 12 round world title bout when promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank proposed Timothy Bradley Jr. defend his WBO World Welterweight title against Brandon Rios. On paper, Bob Arum got it right. The match is fundamentally sound and potentially spectacular, a fantastic world title bout for television or pay-per-view. The Bradley versus Rios proposal hit the news media like a light bulb on lite stick of dynamite, then plunged in a downward spiral like a dead meteorite, then rose in the sky again under bright sunshine on September 3, all of a sudden.
So what happened?
The matchup appears even-steven, and the Rios corner was willing to settle for less dollars in order to get the bout with Bradley. Arum’s tam thought they had the bout nailed down, when suddenly the Bradley camp’s demands were too high. No actual reason for the disenchantment of the Bradley camp was stated. The reason is obvious. The Bradley camp wants the money on the table they believe a world class fighter like Bradley is worth.
Among the factors affected the payout on this potential fight are Bradley has drawn with Diego Gabriel Chaves, while Rios has beaten him by disqualification. No rematch is possible for either fighter because Chaves is now not available, as he is fighting Kell Brook in Sheffield for the IBF World Welterweight title on October 24 and as such is not available. Rios has lost to Manny Pacquiao, while Bradley has lost and won against Pacquiao. Arum certainly is not putting up the money to rematch Rios or Bradley with Pacquiao, not after the tens of millions of dollars Pacquiao got to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. So what is reasonable in terms of the purse for Rios versus Bradley?
Rios, 33-2-1 with 24 knockouts, Oxnard, California, and Bradley, 32-1-1 with 12 knockouts, Palm Springs, California, have remained on their feet in a combined 70 professional bouts. Both fighters are represented by Top Rank. Previous to the Bradley versus Rios proposal, Top Rank tried put together Kell Brook versus Brandon Rios, but it did not work out, and Chaves became the lucky next man in line for that bout.
Bradley is the faster puncher, but his stamina down the stretch is in question. Rios does not have Bradley’s talent, but he appears to have had superior conditioning over Bradley in recent bouts. The major issue for Rios is inactivity. Having been out of the ring for eight months. Bradley is not just sharp, he’s also a very active fighter. The winning game plan will decide the winner, who can pressure whom first, walk them down and break them down. Pacquiao had both men in the defensive mode down the stretch the last time he fought them. Rios is a better technical boxer perhaps than all other welterweights, but he slows down over the last six rounds in a long 12 round affair.
Timothy Bradley Jr. versus Brandon Rios must be saved because it is a bookie’s delight. Odds are likely to swing back and forth on this bout, because the fighters are closely matched on paper and are of even ability in a general sense. In a specific sense, Bradley versus Rios will be over very early. The fighter who can set the tempo and establish control of the ring wins. This reporter likes Bradley by decision, but in reality it’s an even 12 round tossup well worth staging.
Let’s hope Bradley versus Rios can be saved. Bob Arum can make the purse numbers work on both sides into a big moneymaking fighter. If Floyd Mayweather gets the winner of Radley versus Rios after getting past Andre Berto, Bob Arum stands to gain a bucket of money and a lot of great publicity in the process. Good publicity for boxing is a good thing, so let’s hope Bob Arum can save this bout and get the two fighters to agree to common terms.
Bradley has parted ways with trainer Joel Diaz after ten years, and rumor has it he has been talking to Teddy Atlas to take over his corner. That additional element of confusion may have affected Bradley’s decision making processes to accept the Brandon Rios challenge until the issue of his new trainer is resolved. Another possible trainer being considered by Bradley is Buddy McGirt, now working with heavyweight Joey Dawejko.
At 5’6”, Bradley is the right type of small fighter who could be suited by the small McGirt’s fighting style. The change in fighting styles would take Bradley far longer than three months to master from McGirt. If Bradley versus Rios suddenly becomes a done deal, Bradley is probably better with Teddy Atlas, who knows Bradley’s fighting style, and can make training enhancements and style adjustments. However, Atlas has to be available to time off from his ESPN2 schedule to train Bradley, and Atlas is under contract to provide commentary for upcoming televised ESPN2 events already scheduled, making Bradley’s chances of landing Atlas in the near future remote.
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