Brandon Rios is one of the world's premier action boxers and he faces a pressure fighter that should bring out the best in him in John Murray on the HBO PPV undercard for Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito. The fight has taken some last minute turns though, and now we may have a more competitive fight than originally thought.
Rios failed to make weight for the bout and will be giving up his lightweight title. More importantly, he looked awful on the scales and a part of negotiating to keep the fight on the card involves Rios not being able to weigh more than 147 pounds Saturday morning at 9 a.m. which may prevent him from rehydrating as fully as he wants.
The Fighters
Brandon Rios
Record: 28-0-1 (21 KO)
Last 5 Fights:
- July 9, 2011 - W (KO-3) vs. Urbano Antillon
- February 26, 2011 - W (TKO-10) vs. Miguel Accosta
- November 13, 2010 - W (TKO-5) vs. Omri Lowther
- September 11, 2010 - W (DQ-7) vs. Anthony Peterson
- February 6, 2010 - W (TKO-3) vs. Jorge Luis Teron
John Murray
Record: 31-1 (18 KO)
Last 5 Fights:
- July 16, 2011 - L (TKO-8) vs. Kevin Mitchell
- April 2, 2011 - W (Dec) vs. Karim El Ouazghari
- September 25, 2010 - W (TKO-9) vs. Andriy Kudryavtsev
- May 7, 2010 - W (TKO-11) vs. Gary Buckland
- October 3, 2009 - W (TKO-4) vs. Jon Thaxton
The Fight
As stated earlier, this fight changed in complexion completely after Rios missed weight. He didn't only miss weight, but he looked incredibly drawn out and unhealthy. And, because of the now contracted 9 a.m. weigh in, he can't get himself fully back like any other fighter would after the Friday weigh-ins.
Rios is normally a whirlwind of violence between the bells. He is a pressure fighter, but has very good power and uses it well. But will his power be sapped by the weight problems? Will he have the cardio to pressure like normal?
If you had to build a fighter that you don't want to face when you're physically drained and may have cardio issues, you'd probably build John Murray. He's not spectacular at anything, but he is a pressure fighter who doesn't stop. He's going to be on top of Rios and will make it a fight.
Murray was brought in to be an opponent, but Rios' problems have turned him into a threat.
The Prediction
Rios was a heavy favorite coming in for a reason, and he still should be the favorite.
But I really don't like this fight for Brandon now. If Rios were simply paying a fine for missing weight but could get hooked up to an IV and get back to full strength? I'd pick him with quickness. But this is a fight where he'll be physically wrecked against a guy who looked great at the weigh-ins and is going to make him fight every second.
I can't believe I'm picking a guy who is +900 on Bodog, but:
John Murray by decision, or possibly late stoppage after Rios has nothing left physically.