By: William Holmes
It’s bad enough when you purchase a pay per view that you think features matchups that aren’t worth pay per view money.
It’s even worse when afterwards you feel like you were a witness to a felony.
Brandon Rios (30-0-1) took on Richard Abril (17-3-1) for the WBA Lightweight title in Las Vegas last night.
I usually cringe when I hear someone claim that somebody got robbed in a fight, but there was no question about what the right result should have been last night. Rios looked listless and confused at times, and he was unable to apply the pressure he is known for. Rios weighed in two pounds overweight the night before, was given two hours to try and lose the weight, and somehow miraculously gained two pounds in that time period.
It is obvious that Rios has a very difficult time making the lightweight limit, as this is the second fight in a row that he failed to make 135 lbs. It’s a reason for him looking so bad last night, but he shouldn’t have signed a contract to fight at a weight class he couldn’t make.
The official scores last night were 117-111 for Abril, 116-112 for Rios, and 115-113 for Rios. I have yet to find anybody who knows anything about boxing who scored the fight for Abril.
Abril was able to use combinations and accurate punching from the outside to keep Rios at bay, and successfully tied up with Rios whenever he got close. Rios’ face started to show some wear and tear as the fight wore on, and by the end of the fight it was clear that he lost.
There’s an old saying that you should never leave a fight to the judges. This fight is a perfect example of that.
Abril was robbed.
The co-main event was between Juan Manuel Marquez (54-6-1) and Sergey Fedchenko (30-2-0) for the WBO Junior Welterweight title. The PPV was a split site doubleheader, and the crowd in Mexico City was clearly pro-Marquez.
It was questioned before Saturday whether Fedchenko deserved a title shot or not, especially on PPV. He had a pretty record, but it lacked any substance and he had yet to fight on national US television.
Marquez was able to easily defeat Fedchenko. He never appeared to be in a serious trouble, and while Fedchenko at times was able to land some solid punches, he kept his distance for a majority of the fight.
Ultimtely, Fedchenko had no answer for a true Hall of Fame boxer.
With Rios looking as bad as he did tonight, and Marquez looking like the future Hall of Famer that he is, you can question the possibility of Rios vs. Marquez happening this summer.
Instead, fight fans can get ready for Rocky IV…..I mean Pacquiao Marquez IV.
Sigh.
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