Timothy Bradley vs Brandon Rios looks to be a tasty Welterweight affair on paper. But Bradley insists that under the tutelage of Teddy Atlas he’ll prove far too much for Rios on November 7th. Bradley, who will be defending his WBO title, feels Rios will need a whole lot more than luck to come out victorious.
“Rios can bring on the pressure all night long and we will deal with it,” Bradley told Boxing News. “We are prepared for intense pressure. The only chance Rios has is a lucky punch and that’s not going to happen. Teddy Atlas brought in two sparring partners who have put pressure on me every single second for the last three weeks. Rios is living on a prayer and he knows it.
“I don’t care what Rios is doing in his camp. I am only concerned about what I am going to do on fight night. I am absolutely, totally focused. I am not the same fighter I was before.”
Bradley’s tendency to both box and brawl in previous fights has landed him in perilous situations. But the 32-year-old says he’s now a highly disciplined boxer under Atlas’s instruction.
“When Teddy came to camp he challenged me, not what I could do physically, but my mental aspect of fighting,” Bradley continued. “When Teddy came to camp he took a book of images of certain rounds I had fought previously. There were notes about what I did right and what I did wrong. No trainer of mine has ever prepared for a fight like Teddy has for me against Rios.”
And Teddy Atlas, who recently replaced long-time trainer Joel Diaz, couldn’t agree more with Timothy Bradley.
“We looked at a lot of video of Rios to take a look at how he moves and his tendencies,” Atlas said. “We are not concerned about what is happening in the Rios camp because I’ve seen fighters have bad camps and fight well and have seen fighters who had great camps not perform on fight night.
“Tim did his job to prepare for Rios. He knows what it takes and what we have to do to win on November 7. Tim is ready to fight. We both know what needs to be done – total focus for 12 complete rounds – to win this fight.”
Going into the match-up, set to take place at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Bradley carries 32 wins, 1 defeat, 1 draw, with 12 knockouts. Former Lightweight champ Rios will bring 33 wins, 2 defeats, 1 draw, and 24 knockouts.
Who are you picking in Timothy Bradley vs Brandon Rios, fight fans? Will Bradley bag another 12 round decision, or will Rios outgun his foe and find an early finish?
