Last night in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay as I sat ringside for the Brandon Rios – Richard Abril bout, it was difficult to become excited during the fight. For twelve frustrating rounds, Rios tried to apply pressure while Abril wasn’t to interested in fighting, and seemed to prefer moving to avoid much contact. After the fight Rios walked away with a controversial split-decision victory, and will most likely move up in weight from lightweight to junior welterweight, after once again failing to make weight for Fridays weigh-in.
Given Rios latest performance, it definitely didn’t look like the Brandon Rios we are accustomed to watching in the ring. After the fight, the observations from some fellow fighters who were in attendance told the tale of the impression Rios left.
Lightweight contender Sharif Bogere, originally from Uganda, has never seemed to be impressed by Rios, and after the fight he claimed that he had Abril winning a near shutout.
?Rios got beat up,? said Bogere. ?Rios got beat up all around. Abril beat him all around, and the only round I think I gave him was the last round. From round one through eleven, I was giving them to Abril.?
Another fighter interested in the action was undefeated Jessie Vargas, a welterweight contender who trains out of the Mayweather Boxing Club.
?It seemed like Brandon couldn’t? really get his rhythm going,? Vargas would say. ?But I think it?s just an experience for him. I think he?s never been in front of a fighter that looks for ways to get away from him. That?s what he was doing but he was also fighting him a bit dirty, putting his elbow in his face. But, being a boxer, you have to deal with it and I think Brandon should have looked for something to counter.?
Last but not least, Mercito Gesta fought on the undercard of the Rios-Abril fight and scored a victory over Oscar Cuero, and he stuck around to watch the main event. Gesta also fights at 135 pounds and has been wanting to fight Rios for a long time but realizes Rios probably needs to move up in weight instead of killing himself to remain a lightweight.
?Abril, he kind of ran and held Rios, I don’t think it was a good fight for Rios,? said Gesta. ?I don’t know if it’s because he’s drained, but that night was not his night. I think he?s a little bit better than that. Maybe he was cutting weight, I don’t know. But that fight was not that good.”
