Lightweight Brandon Rios got a gift split decision over unknown and late replacement Richard Abril in a twelve round fight from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The near 5/1 underdog Abril didn?t play into the big punching Rios? game plan and instead fought his own; as the longer, lankier fighter, Abril racked up rounds by staying on the outside and not allowing Rios to land efficiently in the clinches. Rios helped matters by constantly bulling inside and smothering his own punches.
After twelve rounds things seemed to be in the bag for the WBA interim titleholder Abril. The judges had different plans and scored a split decision for Rios by the scores of 117-111 for Abril from judge Adalade Byrd, but judges Jerry Roth had it 116-112 and judge Glenn Trowbridge had it at 115-113, both for Rios in a controversial ending of a fight that was supposed to be a last stop for Rios at 135 before moving on to a showdown against veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, who scored a decision victory in twelve rounds in the night?s pay per view main event.
The normally busy Rios started very slowly in the outset, with is only telling blow a landed right hand near the end of the first frame. In the second round, the action warmed up with Rios going to Abril?s thinly framed midsection and Abril drawing a warning for tying up as the crowd tried to get behind Rios.
Abril gained some confidence in the fourth round from effective offense, with the more effective game plan than Rios, who kept charging inside without much success. Abril even let his hands go a bit in the fifth as Rios kept trying for an inside, gritty type fight that Abril refused to engage in.
After the later rounds were logged, Abril seemed to be coasting and Rios just seemed to be his own worst enemy by crowding himself and his punches when in the inside.
?Abril was awkward, he held a lot? I thought he should have got penalized by the judge, but he didn?t (get penalized),? said Rios after the fight.
Full report of the undercard to follow?
