WBA champion Miguel Acosta no soft touch for gregarious Brandon 'Bam Bam' Rios.....

I must be honest I wasn't too familiar with Venezuelan Miguel Acosta leading up to his July 2009 encounter with capable Urbano Antillon in Nyarit, Mexico. It was actually was Antillon, then undefeated at the time, who had captured my eye because of his well documented sparring sessions on the West Coast as well as his aggressive and exciting style.
When the two fighters met the fight had its share of ebbs and flows but as the contest reached the later rounds Acosta began to take over, troubling his Namiquipa, Mexico counterpart with simple movement and his superior range and sharp punching. The pressure began to mount in the 9th as Antillon was rocked and dropped, barely beating the count before seeing referee Russell Mora call a halt to the action and grant Acosta with the interim WBA lightweight title he desperately craved.

Over a year and half later and Acosta will be resurfacing on an ever bigger stage when he faces off with brazen and brash contender Brandon 'Bam Bam' Rios at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rios made quite the name for himself with a 2010 campaign that saw him tear through Jorge Teron and Anthony Peterson as well as gaining some exposure fighting on the November 13th Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito Pay-per-view undercard in Dallas, Texas.

Rios seems to be as rugged and sturdy as they come for a 135-pounder, getting stronger as the fight creeps late, and he raised some eyebrows with the way he bullied Peterson around the ring for long stretches of their fight. He is a definite talent in the sport but in Acosta he will likely be tested more than most expect.

The champion was recently spotted sparring in Petare, Venezuela at the Gimnasio Mocho Novas against five different sparring partners by the names of Jaider Parra, Alfonso Perez, Marco Antonio Avendano, Fernando Angulo, and Frank Rojas. Of that bunch the most recognizable name is that of Angulo, known best for losing a unanimous decision to former lightweight champion Juan 'Baby Bull' Diaz in November of 2006.

Speaking on his preparation you can sense how enthralled Acosta is with the moment that lies ahead.

"I'm comfortable with the work we have done and we've had great preparation," he stated in a ***********.com interview with Hilmar Rojas. "I feel good about the movement and the speed that I've achieved with my hands. Today I was with boxers of lesser and greater weight, left-handed and right-handed, and I saw everything. I did well."

Last month I had a candid conversation with Rios as we discussed several aspects to his first world title shot. He claimed that much of the strategy for the fight was in the hands of his trainer Robert Garcia and conceded that he had only seen a few rounds of Acosta. Rios feels the way to defeat him is to apply steady pressure while coming in smart and always keeping his guard high.

Days prior I ran into Garcia at the inaugural press conference to announce the February 19th Fernando Montiel-Nonito Donaire clash at the Mandalay Bay and he spoke on Acosta's victory over Antillon and the challenge he presents for his charge.

"“It was a great win," Garcia said with respect. "He was looking really good and then to top it off he knocked him out in the ninth round I believe. He did an amazing job. We got to be very well prepared because I believe we are in against the best lightweight in the world right now.”

Looks as though there will be no room for excuses on February 26th.


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