By Scott Gilfoid: Brandon Rios’ trainer Robert Garcia has some major doubts whether the September 12th fight between Rios (33-2, 24 KOs) and unbeaten IBF welterweight champion Kell Brook (35-0, 24 KOs) will take place. The negotiations between the two promoters at Top Rank and Matchroom Sport are locked up over the rematch clause Brook wants for the fight to go ahead.
Additionally, we’re already hearing about Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn having a plan-B in which he’ll have Brook fight against someone else in October instead of September. In the meantime, Rios will have nothing to show for all the time he’s spent in waiting around for the fight against the 29-year-old Brook, which was supposed to have taken place at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
Garcia wishes Top Rank promoter Bob Arum had gotten Rios back in the ring in May of this year rather than having him wait on a fight against Brook, because Garcia doesn’t like to see Rios stay inactive for this long. He last fought in January of this year in destroying Mike Alvarado in three rounds in easily one of the best performances of Rios’ career.
“I just talked to Cameron (Dunkin – Rios’ manager) earlier today and he said that there’s nothing, they have nothing for him,” Garcia said to Fighthype. “We were hoping the Kell Brook fight happened but right now it looks like that’s not even gonna happen.”
Brook really wants that rematch clause, doesn’t he? There’s got to be some serious worry on Brook and Hearn’s part after looking at how sensational Rios looked against Alvarado in their recent third fight. Not only that. Rios looked good against Diego Chaves as well, and he showed in that fight that he wasn’t going to put up with being held all night long. That spells trouble for Brook because if he can’t hold Rios, who is an excellent pressure fighter with outstanding inside fighting skills, then it’s going to be a long, long night for Brook.
It might even be a short night if Rios can land enough of his big uppercuts on the inside while being held by Brook. I can see Rios getting a free hand while in a clinch with Brook, and knocking him out with a short uppercut or hook to the head.
The fact that Brook really wants that rematch clause tells you that they must feel that there’s a chance of losing this fight, so they want to make sure they get the rematch. Top Rank has all kinds of things they would like to do with Rios once he beats Brook and captures his IBF strap.
The last thing Top Rank and Rios needs is to get locked into a rematch with Brook and have to go to the UK to fight him for a second time in front of a large pro-Brook crowd. Rios could make good money fighting guys like WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley, Terence Crawford, or Manny Pacquiao. That’s where the money is for Rios. If he gets stuck fighting Brook again for smaller money than what he’d be getting against Bradley, Crawford and Pacquiao, then that’s not good for Rios.
If Rios doesn’t get the fight against Brook, then Arum will be looking to bring him back in October against an opponent still to be determined. Robert Garcia is disappointed that Rios couldn’t get the fight against Bradley on June 27th. Arum had light welterweight Jessie Vargas fight Bradley in what turned out to be a dreadfully one-sided fight aside from the 12th round.
I doubt that Arum will have Rios fight the likes of Bradley in October. Heck, I don’t think he’ll even get a rematch against Diego Chaves. You can pretty much forget that because Chaves is fighting Devon Alexander next in an IBF eliminator. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arum sticks Rios in with Crawford or Jessie Vargas. Those aren’t good fights for Rios. He’s better off against sluggers like Ruslan Provodnikov, but it looks like Arum is going to let the Rios-Provodnikov fight marinate for a while rather than put the guys in with each other right now.
“After Brandon’s performance in January against Alvarado, he looked so good,” Garcia said. “He looked so good he should have been back in the ring by May – latest, June. Bob Arum promised him, he promised he’d be fighting in June. We’re now in July and we still have no date, nothing for Brandon.”
Garcia wants Rios to fight Bradley next, but it looks like Arum is going to match Bradley against Sadam Ali for his next fight and stage it in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Rios is kind of in a bad place right now. He’s not been fighting and really hasn’t had an interesting fight since losing to Pacquiao in 2013. He’s kind of been wasted since then with him fighting only Chaves and Alvarado. You have to wonder who Rios would have fought if he were with Al Haymon. He’d likely have fought some top guys in the past two years instead of being put in with lesser guys.
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