By William Mackay: WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios (28-0-1, 21 KO’s), who arguably is the best fighter in the lightweight division right now, isn’t all that impressed with World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KO’s) after seeing his recent performance against a reluctant Zab Judah last weekend.

Rios, speaking to examiner.com, thinks Judah just came for a paycheck and didn’t want to get hit and didn’t want to fight. Those are my exact thoughts as well. It was good match making on Khan’s management’s part to pick out a guy like Judah rather than a live body that could possibly Khan out.

Rios said this to examiner.com about Khan: “I don’t see nothing special [about Khan]. They’re trying to make him like this big, special thing…He fought a guy, Zab Judah, who is old. He was done and over with. He acted like he didn’t want to fight no more when he got hit low. He was just looking for a payday.”

Rios then explained how he would go about beating Khan: “I’d put my pressure and block his shots. Make sure his shots don’t get through. That’s just how I fought with [Miguel] Acosta.”

I can see Rios beating Khan with pressure and an inside game. Rios wouldn’t fold and not fight like Judah. He would get inside on Khan the way that Marcos Maidana did and blast away at him until he folds. Khan would likely grab Rios around the neck and try to pull his head down forward the way he now does with his opponents in an illegal move, but Rios would light Khan up with body punches if he pulls that kind of stuff.

I honestly don’t expect Khan and Rios to fight, however, because Rios fights for Top Rank and Khan with Golden Boy Promotions. Besides that, I see Rios as being too dangerous for Khan and I doubt Khan’s management will want to put him anywhere near a fierce competitor like Rios. He’s not faded and he’s not a weak puncher. I think that rules him out.

Rios recently defeated Urbano Antillon by an impressive 3rd round TKO on July 9th. Rios will be back in action on November 12th against a still to be determined opponent. There has been talk of Rios possibly fighting Timothy Bradley on November 12th if Bradley signs with Top Rank. It’s all the rumor stage at this point. Rios has already been mentioned by Top Rank president Bob Arum as a potential opponent for Manny Pacquiao in a year or so. A fight against Khan would be a good warm up for Rios to get ready for Pacquiao.