Brandon Rios has been out of action for quite some time now and the American boxer is confident that he is in top shape to take what Timothy Bradley Jr. brings this coming Nov. 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Bradley is, of course, heading into the fight with a new trainer — Teddy Atlas — a move that many see as tactical. Atlas replaces long-time handler Joel Díaz.
Rios believes that Bradley has been conditioned to approach the fight in a scientific way than a slugfest, but the 29-year-old boxer claims that he has a plan to make Bradley fight his style.
Rios has not been in the ring for quite some time. His last fight was way back in January, hacking out a total knockout (TKO) win over Mike Alvarado. Rios shakes off the notion that he could be a bit rusty heading into the fight, although Bradley has been on a long lay-off himself.
On the other end, Bradley is coming off a controversial win over Jesse Vargas last June, but Desert Storm stands firm that he won that fight clean.
The controversy came in the dying seconds of the 12th round when Bradley got hit hard by Vargas but the referee stopped "La Nueva Generacion" from doing further damage.
With a new trainer, Rios knows that Bradley can use a conservative or aggressive approach. Either way, "Bam" is ready since he has been known to stick to his defensive style and engage in brawls when needed.
A curious spectator for the night will be Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Bradley is one of the shortlisted candidates being considered by Pacquiao for his farewell fight, which will happen on April 9, 2016.
