By Francisco Hernandez: Photo credit Tom Casino/Showtime – The boxing gods are praising Brandon Rios and Miguel Acosta for putting on a great fight tonight in Las Vegas. The first great fight of the year. Brandon Rios looked like an Alfredo “Perro” Angulo of the lightweight division; at times Rios looked as tough as Jake Lamotta. The resilient and skillful Venezuelan, Miguel Acosta, appeared to be on his way to a win in the first part of the fight, as he landed almost at will on Rios, staggering Rios with a bone crunching right hand. Rios shrugged off Acosta’s punches and applied relentless pressure on Acosta throughout the fight, until Rios unleashed a short jab that put Acosta down, later Rios would dump Acosta on the canvas again with a left hook. This was the beginning of the end for Miguel Acosta who tried to rally and connected but no longer had anything left in his punches. In the tenth round Rios cornered Acosta and pounded him into oblivion.
With this win Brandon Rios is now the WBA lightweight champion of the world. Rios showed that he has what it takes to become one of the best fighters at the lightweight division: a strong chin, rabid determination, and heavy power in his punches. Brandon Rios is a throwback to the tough seventies or fifties. Miguel Acosta hopefully should not slip into obscurity; he is an excellent boxer and can give anyone a good fight.
These are the types of fights or matchups that real boxing fans enjoy, not those one sided mishaps or sleepy uneventful rip-offs. Fighters like Brandon Rios and Miguel Acosta are what boxing needs.
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