Brandon Rios beats Richard Abril by way of split decision

Brandon Rios defeats Richard Abril by a controversial decision

Brandon Rios retained his unbeaten record as he was awarded with a split decision victory in his fight with Richard Abril. Even though Rios won the bout he didn't win the Lightweight title due to his failure to make the 135 pounds Lightweight limit.

First of all I'd like to say Rios did not win the fight. Abril took Rios to school and made him look very ordinary. Abril kept Rios at distance for most of the fight with a good jab and straight right hand and when Rios did get inside Abril used his shoulder and right hand to block all of Rios's punches.

I consider Abril to be the real Lightweight champion and I do not consider Rios to be an undefeated fighter. If Rios does get a big pay-day fight with Juan Manuel Marquez then I would expect Marquez to dominate and probably go onto stop Rios.

Rios was lucky that it wasn't Gamboa who was in the ring with him as Gamboa would also have had an excellent chance of the stoppage victory.

Even though Abril isn't the most entertaining fighter on the planet I would rather see him get a fight with Juan Manuel Marquez instead of Brandon Rios as he put up a great performance and out-boxed Rios throughout the fight.

A lot of fans were complaining about Abril not making the fight very entertaining but if you had the superior height and reach advantage would you choose to stand and trade with your smaller opponent? Or would you use your physical advantages to the best of your ability?

Did anyone score the fight in Rios's favour?

Source:  www.punchbagblog.com/2012/04/brandon-rios-beats-richard-abril-by-way.html

Brandon Rios wins split decision

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS -- Brandon Rios barely remained unbeaten with a split-decision victory over Richard Abril on Saturday night after failing to make weight for the lightweight bout.

Rios (30-0-1, 22 KOs) seemed sluggish and wooden for long stretches of the bout after the former lightweight champion came in two pounds over the 135-pound limit on Friday.

The decision appeared to upset many fans at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Although Abril (17-3-1) fights in an unattractive style, he appeared to control several rounds with superior precision and strategic clinches.

Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 116-112 for Rios, and Glenn Trowbridge favored Rios 115-113. Adalaide Byrd scored it 117-111 for Abril.

The mercurial Rios, a rising star in the Top Rank stable of fighters, lost his shot at a $50,000 winner's bonus and the chance to reclaim his title when he failed to make weight in his second straight fight. Rios also lost his belt on the scales last December, missing weight in New York before stopping Britain's John Murray.

Abril, a Cuban who fights out of Miami, was a replacement opponent for Rios after fellow Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa dropped out of the matchup last month in a contract dispute, turning down what promoters said was a seven-figure payday. Abril won the interim WBA belt last October by beating Miguel Acosta, but this decision ended his five-fight winning streak.

Abril seemed more proficient from the opening bell, peppering Rios with shots and combinations. Rios became more physical in the later rounds, butting his way inside Abril's defense, but Abril frequently wrapped up and minimized the damage.

Rios' left eye became puffy in the late rounds, and he kept forcing his way inside with little result. Both corners raised their fighters in the air after the bout.

On the undercard of a two-site pay-per-view card also featuring Juan Manuel Marquez's ring return against Sergey Fedchenko in Mexico City, Mike Alvarado remained unbeaten and in line for a 140-pound title shot with a tidy unanimous decision over Mauricio Herrera.

Rios intended to move up to 140 pounds in his next bout, and was hoping for a shot at Marquez this summer at Cowboys Stadium. His weight failures and a lackluster victory could affect those plans.

Marquez (54-6-1) had little trouble picking apart Fedchenko (30-2) in his first fight since losing a majority decision to Manny Pacquiao in November. Two judges saw the fight 118-110 for Marquez, with a third favoring the multidivision champion, 119-109.

Marquez, who still holds out hope for a fourth fight with Pacquiao, hasn't lost to anyone but Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. in six years.

Source:  espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7815103/brandon-rios-beats-richard-abril-disputed-split-decision