Brandon Rios vs the Light Welters

Ok so now that the dust has settled after his loss to Richard Abril, it's time to talk about Bam Bam as a light welter. In a post fight interview, he claimed he absolutely killed himself to make 135, and he 'felt stupid' for doing so. It has become clear to both us fans, and now the boxer himself, that Rios can no longer make 135. A step up in weight will certainly come now. So, how does he do against the 140lb'ers?

First of all, we have the 'World Champions' at the weight

1) Bradley (WBO I think he still holds it. This is assuming he loses to Pac and goes back to 140)
2) Peterson (IBF and WBA)
3) Garcia

Then we have the 'World Class' fighters at the weight

1) Marquez (Assuming he stays there)
2) Khan
3) Maidana
4) Matthysse
5) Alvarado
6) Judah
7) Soto
8 ) Roberto Guerrero (He fights in every other division in boxing, so i've included him in this one as well)


Things to consider

Pros

1 - Rios will be a lot more comfortable at 140. He will not have to drain himself to such a great extend on the week of the fight. This will certainly add to his strength and stamina, and possibly his punching power, as well as his ability to take a shot.

2 - Rios has looked damn good at Lightweight, and only really struggled with Acosta, a world class boxer, whom he overwhelmed and stopped (sorry Pab), and Abril, a frustrating defensive fighter who spoilt all night and didnt let Rios work (I'm not sure we have a similar fighter at 140, with the possible exception of Bradley who nullifies his opponent)

Cons

1 - At 140, his opponents are obviously bigger. Will Rios be able to bully his opponents like he did at 135? Many will have a reach advantage and would keep Rios off with the jab (Abril did this well).

2 - The 140 guys hit a lot harder than the 135 fighters Rios has fought. Guys like Matthysse, Maidana and even Kendall Holt have raw power, more so than Acosta who buzzed Rios early

So, do the Pros outweigh the Cons here? Will Rios be that much more comfortable with the added 5 lbs? Will the extra weight add to his attributes enough for him to overcome the larger guys? Or will the bully be bullied at the higher weight?

1 Which of the names above do you favour Rios to beat?
2 Which of the names above are a 50/50 fight for Rios?
3 Which of the names above do you favour to beat Rios?

Highlights vs Anthony Peterson

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcLDP7xMVFY[/ame]

vs Urbano Antillon Part 1

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shuNO1ZatMs&feature=related[/ame]

vs Miguel Acosta Part 2

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy2GWGFjXQo[/ame]

vs John Murray Part 3

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpimeyufG2s&feature=relmfu[/ame]

 

It's pretty clear Rios is avoiding Mitchell IMO. Kev offered him out of twitter and suddenly Rios got fat? I'm not buying it :-(

 

I agree, Khan would absolutely **** himself when Rios gets close. Brandon knocks him out

atsch just seen the other thread.

At least I included videos for you to watch

 

That's a very valid point. Plus he is still growing. I cant see him at 140 for long. Him vs Ortiz at 147 would be crazy. Both hate each other as well!