"Bam Bam" Brandon Rios Soars
Boxing is a sport sorely indeed of star power, specifically action fighters capable of satisfying even the most casual fan’s bloodlust. After a summer marred by a series of overly hyped “superfights” that failed to deliver, the ascent of “Bam Bam” Brandon Rios is the perfect antidote to the cowardice of David Haye and Shane Mosley.
His first title defense on Saturday night in Carson, Calif. against Urbano Antillon promised to be a classic slugfest between two come-forward brawlers and for once fight fans weren’t disappointed. Antillon gamely traded with Rios, both men pounding each other with heavy shots while largely ignoring defense. But a right hook from Rios to start the 3rd floored Urbano and marked the beginning of the end.
A second flush right from Rios put Antillon down again and eventually forced the ref to wave it off with ten seconds left in the 3rd. Rios raced around the ring and mounted the ropes, a conqueror in the truest sense of the word. His approach is simple: he takes the best his opponent can dish out and then responds in kind to see who is the better man. It is impossible not to love.
There is talk of Rios moving up to 140 lbs. but we don’t really care since it seems impossible to us for him to be in a boring fight. Promoter Bob Arum afterward declared him a potential opponent for Manny Pacquiao in 2013 and suggested Rios might be the only one with the goods to eventually beat the Filipino phenom. On this night it would be hard to argue with any acclaim of Bam Bam.
Having already defeated both Miguel Acosta and Antillon there is little left for Brandon to prove at lightweight. He should seek the biggest possible fight against comparable opposition because his power should hold up at junior welterweight where either Timothy Bradley or the winner of Amir Khan-Zab Judah would make an attractive pairing eventually.
With his constant pressure and thunderous power Rios is a matchmaker’s dream; a potential fight of the year candidate every time he steps between the ropes. He is fast becoming an office favorite and the leading candidate for Stiff Jab fighter of the year. As for Antillon, it would be a mistake to write the man off after one brutal dispatching. Like Ryan Rhodes last month his loss came against a rising superstar of the sport.