Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was working on possibly pitting Timothy Bradley Jr. against Brandon Rios; but it looks like such plan has now been made complicated.
This was after the World Boxing Organization (WBO) named Sadam Ali as Bradley's mandatory opponent, which means that Bradley must face Ali first before any match with Rios could take place.
Bradley is coming off a controversial win over Jesse Vargas, something that has stalled him from being officially named as WBO welterweight champion. Vargas has appealed the decision and no verdict has been released for now.
On the other hand, Rios is emerging from botched talks against Kell Brook when both camps failed to come to a compromise regarding a rematch clause. And so such set the stage for a possible showdown between Bradley and Rios.
But that was before Ali came into the picture.
Ali is coming off two victories, one in November when he won over Luis Carlos Abregu via knockout (KO) and a unanimous decision win over Francisco Santana just last April.
Arum is concerned on how to sell the fight with Ali, who, apparently is still not a top draw. Hence, Arum and Ali's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, are planning to sit down and talk about it and hopefully come to a compromise that could probably help make the Bradley-Rios match materialize.
That could include possibly getting Ali into a match against Bradley's former opponent, Jesse Vargas. In the end, it could end up pitting the winners of both matches if negotiations conclude on a positive note.
In the event that the camp of Ali declines, Arum says that the Bradley vs. Rios fight will still push through with the title not on the line.
"Titles are meaningless," Arum said via the Los Angeles Times.
The question now is — will Rios be fine with that setup?
