By Chris Williams: WBA World lightweight champion Brandon Rios (28-0-1, 21 KO’s) could face former three division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (67-7, 44 KO’s) for his next fight after beating fringe contender Urbano Antillon (28-3, 20 KO’s) by a third round TKO last Saturday night at the Home Depot Center, in Carson, California.

Rios said after the fight that he’s interested in facing Barrera next. That sounds like a really bad fight if you ask me. I would have liked it seven to ten years ago when Barrera was in his prime but he’s so far removed from his prime that it’s not even funny.

A fight between Rios and Barrera would be the equivalent of Manny Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley in my view. I see it as Rios facing a fighter with a name only to get attention from casual boxing fans who would tune in to see the fight because of Barrera and maybe not know how far he’s slipped as a fighter in the past six years. Rios-Barrera is a huge mismatch of epic proportions.

Barrera hasn’t fought a quality fighter since losing to Amir Khan by a 5th round technical decision in 2009. Since then, the 37-year-old Barrera has fought twice, beating Adailton De Jesus and Jose Arias. Khan has been the sole quality fight for Barrera in the past four years since Barrera was beaten by Pacquiao in 2007. Barrera was considered on the downside of his career even then and now four years later they’re thinking about putting him in with a young lion like Rios? I think that’s a bad idea. Who knows?

Maybe Barrera needs money and will take the fight, but I hope not. I don’t think this is a good fight for boxing fans. It’s a mismatch and I guess it would probably end up on PPV, and that would be really sad. Paying to watch a mismatch between a once great fighter against a good but not even close to being great champion Rios. I’d watch the fight if it was a complimentary free fight or one with a reduced price tag of say $1, but I can’t see paying to see this fight. I hope it’s not put together and I hope if it is, it’s not a PPV massacre.