By Jason Kim: Photo credit Tom Casino/Showtime -Top WBA lightweight contender Brandon Rios (26-0-. 19 KO’s) faces his toughest bout of his seven-year pro career on Saturday night against World Boxing Association lightweight champion Miguel Acosta (28-3-2, 22 kO’s) at the Palms Casino Resort, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rios and Acosta are two completely different fighters. Acosta is a mover that can punch hard while moving and can stop on a dime to suddenly throw powerful uppercuts and hooks.

He’s hard to hit because of his movement, and his power and all the different angles he throws punches makes him even more difficult to fight. Rios, 24, is a pressure fighter that does well against fighters that stand in one place or come at him. He’s not someone that moves particularly well, and he’s going to have to be able to move a little to cut off the ring on Acosta on Saturday night.

Rios is like a slightly better version of Urbano Antillon, a pressure fighter that Acosta easily beat by a 9th round stoppage in July 2009. Antillon tried going at Acosta all night long but kept running into shots while tying to catch Acosta and force him to fight in spot.

Rios is very similar to Antillon, only slightly taller at 5’8 1/2″ compared to the 5’7″ Antillon. Rios’ size won’t be a factor against Acosta, because Acosta is the exact same height but with much better overall skills. Rios is a big body puncher, but then again so is Acosta. The problem that Rios is going to have is that he won’t be able to land his body shots with any consistency unless Acosta stands in front of him. I don’t know that he’s going to be willing to do that.