During the first part of my conversation with WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios earlier this week, I touched on the Oxnard, California fighter’s upcoming bout with bitter enemy Urbano Antillon as well as his future aspirations. If successful against Antillon this coming July 9th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, Rios would love a shot at the man regarded as the best at 135 pounds, Juan Manuel Marquez.
While Marquez does have business of his own to handle in the form of a November 12th crack at WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in which he will be moving up two full weight classes, Rios does believe that after the dust has settled that Marquez will be returning to the lightweight division to do business. Win or lose, Marquez would still be a big name by the time a fight with Rios would come off but when I pressed the 25-year old champion further about that matchup he showed some skepticism.
<--- Slideshow: Twelve rounds of fury as Brandon Rios spars in Oxnard, California
“You know what? After Pacquiao I think he might fight Canelo [Alvarez]. There is still a lot of money in that. I heard him on the radio station. You never know, they might put him with Canelo,” Rios stated of the junior middleweight champion from Jalisco, Mexico, one of Golden Boy Promotions’ crown jewels at the moment.
But just as quick as Rios could utter his thoughts, so too did his trainer Robert Garcia jump into our conversation by pointing out to his fighter that Marquez had actually worked out a contract with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum in order to land the Pacquiao fight and may likely find himself fighting outside of the Golden Boy banner for future showdowns. I then asked Garcia for his take on the whole Golden Boy-Top Rank drama, which has been one of the biggest feuds in the sport these days despite the recent show of decency from both sides in hopes of the two companies one day working with one another again.
“This is business and it’s a competition,” Garcia stated as he wrapped Rios’ hands prior to their training session. “Bob Arum, without question, is the best one out there, and if he could do it on his own, put up big fights with his fighters and keep his promotion going, why would he even want to share that piece with somebody else? This is a competition and Arum is still putting the biggest cards out there each year.”
Garcia has obviously thought about this topic a lot, seeing as though Rios, who could be fighting at 140 pounds in the near future, would have plenty of options when looking at Golden Boy’s stacked list of fighters.
“So does he need Golden Boy? No, but there are a lot of fights I would love to see. Brandon against the Amir Khans the Guerreros, the Maidanas. I would love to see those but I know Arum also has a good plan for Brandon, nothing to do with those guys, they aren’t included in those plans. We’ve already talked with Bob Arum about his plans and do they really need Golden Boy? I don’t think so,” Garcia continued.
One fighter caught up in the middle of everything is WBC and WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire, who in the middle of March signed a lucrative, four-year deal with Golden Boy with the belief that his contract with Top Rank was invalid. Arum took the matter to court and mediator Daniel Weinstein ruled in Top Rank’s favor, thus preventing Golden Boy from doing any immediate business with the 28-year old star.
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The ending result has seen Donaire sitting on the sidelines and inactive for several months now, with nearly all of the momentum from his February 19th blowout over Fernando Montiel at the Mandalay Bay having disappeared. Garcia has worked in Donaire’s past four camps as an assistant trainer and chief strategist and can’t hide his disappointment yet hopes a return will be in the works soon.
“Especially after the big win, that’s when he should have taken advantage of his name,” said Garcia. “The fame that he got, everybody wanted to see Nonito. For this to happen right now, it’s sad but it’s just business. It’s just the way it is. He’s not the first one it’s happened to and not the last one for sure. I’m sure [his manager] Cameron Dunkin will get this straightened out and hopefully we can get him back in the ring by August or September.”
As for fighters with plans a bit more concrete, I started volleying questions Rios’ way once again as I had a peculiar interest in the return of his stable mate Antonio Margarito. The Tijuana fighter recently received medical clearance to continue his career after suffering a broken orbital bone in his lopsided points loss to Manny Pacquiao last November and seems poised for a December rematch with Miguel Cotto in New York.
Rios and Margarito were seen having a ball with one another in camp on HBO’s 24/7 series in the lead up to the Pacquiao fight and ‘Bam Bam’ is enthused to have his good buddy back.
“Margarito is my boy and he’s always putting on a good show for the fans,” said Rios. “I’m glad he’s coming back and still making maybe one more fight before he ends his career. I’m glad for him that he’s still making a comeback. He still has to provide for his family and I’m glad for him.”
As for what he learned from Margarito training by his side, Rios spoke of his tremendous work ethic and the special camaraderie that exists between aspiring pugilists.
“The way to train and the way to be. The way he trains, he trains like a monster. I picked that up, I picked the positive up, and I love the way he trains. It’s a good bond because we don’t have to worry about the gym and somebody’s hating on you. You can just come to the gym and enjoy a perfect workout. I think it’s a good way, in the gym, to have relationships with your fighters and your trainers.”
Real talk from the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
