“He?s trying to play mind games and it?s not going to work on me. Also, he probably realizes that he fuc*ed up and is probably saying to himself, ‘Damn, I?m fighting this guy Brandon who is a beast,’ and he?s got Floyd Mayweather at the gym who is probably telling him, ‘Man, you are taking a real chance. It?s a big fight so you should be getting more than you are getting.’ Honestly, he?s getting a lot of money for this fight and he?s a retard. Also, I?m the one who has more to lose. He?s the smaller guy, if he beats me I lost to a featherweight but if he loses to me he can say to himself, ‘I lost to a lightweight, a bigger guy. I challenged the best lightweight and I did my best but he beat me.’ A lot of fans would respect him more if he had done that and he would get more followers and still get another good payday and another shot. So many fighters only care about getting paid and not wanting to take a risk and they forget that the fans are the ones who pay to see them fight and who make them who they are. I?m a throwback fighter and I believe that you have to beat the best to be the best. I?ll fight anybody,” said former WBA Lightweight Champion Brando Rios when asked about his upcoming opponent scheduled for April 14 Yuriorkis Gamboa. Check out what else he had to say about the match up as well as other things going on his career.
DL: Given the fact that he has missed two consecutive press conferences, are you concerned at all about the Gamboa fight not happening?
BR: I?m not really concerned. I?m training as if the fight is still happening. I?ll be fighting April 14th either way. Whatever he is doing, all this bullsh*t that he is pulling is kind of stupid. To me he is trying to play mind games, he?s trying to get me off guard and cause me to not train thinking that he?s not going to fight. One thing he doesn?t know about me is that stuff doesn?t bother me. Another thing is that he was the one who was calling me out. Everyone is saying Brandon isn?t a man because he is fighting a featherweight, well I didn?t call out this featherweight. This motherfu*cker called me out. I didn?t call him out, he called me out. So to all the people talking sh*it —I never called out Gamboa, not even once because he was a featherweight. I figured by the time he got to lightweight I would have moved up by then.
DL: What percentage of him not showing up to the press conferences is him playing mind games and what percentage is him not wanting to go through with the fight?
BR: I think it?s 50/50. He?s trying to play mind games and it?s not going to work on me. Also, he probably realizes that he fuc*ed up and is probably saying to himself, ‘Damn, I?m fighting this guy Brandon who is a beast,’ and he?s got Floyd Mayweather at the gym who is probably telling him, ‘Man, you are taking a real chance. It?s a big fight so you should be getting more than you are getting.’ Honestly, he?s getting a lot of money for this fight and he?s a retard. Also, I?m the one who has more to lose. He?s the smaller guy, if he beats me I lost to a featherweight but if he loses to me he can say to himself, ‘I lost to a lightweight, a bigger guy. I challenged the best lightweight and I did my best but he beat me.’ A lot of fans would respect him more if he had done that and he would get more followers and still get another good payday and another shot. So many fighters only care about getting paid and not wanting to take a risk and they forget that the fans are the ones who pay to see them fight and who make them who they are. I?m a throwback fighter and I believe that you have to beat the best to be the best. I?ll fight anybody.
DL: Assuming that the fight does happen, how hard will it be for you to make 135 lbs after not being able to in your last fight against John Murray?
BR: It will be kind of hard but not too hard because I hired a new nutritionist and I have a new diet. I didn?t do things correctly in New York but now I feel great, I feel strong. I weighed 149 ? today and the weight is coming off.
DL: Will you use timing to counter his speed?
BR: Exactly and there are all kind of things that we have been working on. Robert has been studying tapes of him a lot. We are going to work in speed and timing and just do what I do and fight how I fight. He does make mistakes, he?s human and so we are looking at those things. I?m very disciplined when it comes to instructions from the corner.
DL: Have you ever fought a guy as fast as him? Have you fought someone with his style?
BR: I fought two guys similar to him. Miguel Acosta was very fast when I fought him and Anthony Peterson he was fast but I broke him down. It took me a little bit longer to break Miguel Acosta down because he was fast, awkward and running but I did break him down. Stuff like that is not going to faze me. I?m just ready to go to war like always.
DL: What do you think of Gamboa as a fighter?
BR: At first before all of this happened I thought: Damn this guy is very skillful, very awkward, very fast. He was an amateur for a while pretty much like me. It?s going to be a good fight. Now I think he?s a chicken shit and a scared little man. He should have thought twice before mentioning my name and now he?s running. He knows that there is no way he is going to knock me out that way he is knocking other people out.
DL: You are a fighter who is known for having insane toughness and heart. Are you willing to die in the ring?
BR: Yes, I love what I do. If didn?t love this job I wouldn?t do it and I wouldn?t be where I?m at today. Also, my wife loves what I do and is very supportive with it and she loves my job too. She helps me out a lot. I would die in the ring if it comes down to it. I always leave everything in the ring. I never come home and think I should have done this, or I should have done that. Guys like Mickey Ward, Arturo Gatti, Chico Coralles. I look up to those guys. I have a similar style to them and I?m a warrior. I do fight for my family and to provide them with a better lifestyle, but I also fight for the fans. I want them to have a good show. You can tell I love what I do because I always smile when I?m going to fight.
DL: You are also known for having an amazing gas tank. How much of it is inherent and how much of it is the product of conditioning?
BR: It comes down to conditioning and if you love your job your gas tank is never going to go down to E. I train hard, so it?s a lot of hard training. I feel that nobody can out train me. I feel unbeatable and untouchable right now.
DL: Do you have a desire to fight Juan Manuel Marquez?
BR: That?s a fight I would love. Hopefully Marquez will give me a chance. I?m talking directly to Marquez, Juan, give me a chance. You say you want to fight the best and be the best I?m one of the best. They have given you a chance so give me a chance. I think the fans would love this fight. People love the way we fight.
DL: What are your goals in boxing?
BR: The highest weight I think I can handle is 147 and maybe higher. I wanted to unify the titles at 135, but after what happened in New York I was down for a while. I?ve put that behind me and now the WBA has given me another chance to fight for the title. I want to regain my title and move up to 140 and 147 and win titles there.
DL: Since Pavlik has been in Oxnard working with your trainer Robert Garcia, have you sparred with Pavlik? I know he is much bigger than you, but it?s not uncommon for smaller guys to spar with bigger guys.
BR: I haven?t sparred Pavlik because I train earlier than him. You never know because I?ve sparred with bigger guys. I sparred with Sergio Martinez one time. It was great, he?s very athletic and difficult to hit. He even told me ‘You put a lot of pressure on me and you are a tough fuc*ker.’ I think Pavlik can return to the fighter he was. He?s been looking good in the gym. He told me that he is getting really sharp. Kelly made a smart move by coming out to Oxnard. I told him that nobody cares that you lost — you have a chance to show the world that you are back. I think he can make a great comeback.
DL: Who were your boxing idols growing up?
BR: Julio Caesar Chavez Sr, Mickey Ward, Arturo Gatti, Chico Coralles. Growing up I really looked up to Chavez Sr. I was really disappointed when he lost to De La Hoya. Nothing against him, but I was never a big fan of Oscar. I didn?t like his style. I think he took a dive against Hopkins. I?ve been hit with body shots and they hurt, but a real warrior would have gotten up. I was knocked down twice in the first round by body shots and I got up.
DL: Any message you want to relay to your fans?
BR: Thank you for all of your support. I love all you guys. I also love my wife and we will be having a baby later this month. I want to thank her along with my fans for all the support.
DL: Congratulations on the baby and thank you very much for your time Brandon.
BR: Sure, anytime man.
