https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQeLLQBKuBQ&feature=youtu.be

By Dan Ambrose: Timothy Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs) will have his WBO welterweight title on the line tonight for his fight against Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KOs) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Fight News, the World Boxing Organization has decided to let the 32-year-old Bradley’s WBO title be up for grabs for the fight.

There was some confusion about whether the title would be on the line for the fight due to #1 WBO challenger Sadam Ali being the mandatory for the fight, and the one who was supposed to be getting the fight instead of Top Rank fighter Brandon Rips.

The winner of the Rios-Bradley fight must fight Golden Boy Promotions fighter Ali next. However, there’s a chance that they may vacate the WBO title if Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defeats WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto this month in their fight on 11/21.

Canelo’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya is interested in having Canelo fight the winner of the Bradley-Rios fight rather than face WBC 160lb mandatory challenger Gennady Golovkin. If that does happen, it will be up to the WBC to decide whether to let the WBC 160lb title be on the line for the Canelo vs. Bradley-Rios winner.

The WBC has already said that Golovkin is supposed to face the winner of the Cotto-Canelo fight next, but of course the WBC could change their mind and let Golovkin be bypassed. You just never know with the sanctioning bodies. If Golden Boy wanted, they could also give Golovkin a step aside fee so that Canelo could fight the winner of the Rios vs. Bradley fight.

If the winner of the Bradley-Rios fight is intent on keeping the WBO 147lb title, then they’ll need to start negotiating right away to fight Sadam Ali, as they’ll only have 90 days to make that fight a reality. If they vacate the WBO title, then Ali will fight the next highest ranked contender in the WBO’s top 15 rankings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1t7ewWMDTw&feature=youtu.be

Right now, it would be #4 WBO, unless #2 WBO Manny Pacquiao agreed to take the fight, which is highly doubtful. If Khan decides he’s not interested in fighting for the WBO strap, then it would be #5 WBO Jessie Vargas in what would be another all-Top Rank affair. Tonight’s fight between Rios and Bradley will be an All-Top Rank fight, as both guys are promoted by Bob Arum of Top Rank.

With the welterweight division being watered down due to the numerous titles, tonight’s fight between Rios and Bradley really isn’t a fight involving the two best fighters in the 147lb division. You can make an argument that the winner of the Bradley-Rios fight will be possibly the 9th best fighter in the 147lb division. I rate the best welterweights in the division as follows:

1. Manny Pacquiao

2. Shawn Porter

3. Errol Spence

4. Keith Thurman

5. Marcos Maidana

6. Danny Garcia

7. Amir Khan

8. Kell Brook

9. Tim Bradley, Diego Chaves [tie]

10. Brandon Rios

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAUqjc5VPrU&feature=youtu.be

Other fights on tonight’s card are as follows:

Egidijus Kavaliauskas vs. Jake Guiriceo

Mike “Yes Indeed” Reed vs. Rondale Hubbert

Miguel Marriaga vs. Guillermo Avila

Ryota Murata vs. Gunnar Jackson

Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Romulo Koasicha

Jesse Garcia vs. Rodolfo Zamora