BRADLEY-RIOS: ROUND BY ROUND
LAS VEGAS — Timothy Bradley Jr. had only 12 knockouts in his 34 prior fights, but his union with new trainer Teddy Atlas was made to create “a new animal,” in Bradley’s words. The plan was to reinvent Bradley into someone who could prove capable of knocking down a man, Brandon Rios, that Manny Pacquiao hadn’t — a challenger to Bradley’s World Boxing Organization welterweight belt who weighed a staggering 170 pounds before walking into the Thomas & Mack Center ring Saturday. It was a crossroads fight for Oxnard’s former lightweight champion Rios, who’d lost two of his last four fights and spoke of pondering retirement if beaten here. Seeking to avoid the pressure of the forward fighter, Bradley was banking on lessons taught him in his first camp with new trainer Atlas in the Coachella Valley.
ROUND 1: Word from HBO officials is Rios weighs a startling 23 pounds beyond the welterweight limit while Bradley was at 155 pounds. Rios received final instructions from his trainer and close friend Robert Garcia, looking determined, while Bradley listened to Atlas, who’s pushing for a boxing show. Bradley quickly strikes to the body. Rios tries to pound the gut in a hold, but takes fast punches from Bradley. Rios nods they don’t hurt. Two Bradley jabs to the face. Two good lefts to the head by Bradley. Rios is looking very slow and he takes a hard left by Bradley before the bell.
ROUND 2: A couple quick lefts by Bradley after Atlas was apparently warning his fighter about the danger of Rios’ potential power shots. The crowd of 5,106 is rooting for Rios as Bradley holds him. A quick, good uppercut by Bradley. Bradley’s capable of throwing nearly three punches in the time it takes Rios to throw one.
ROUND 3: Bradley snaps in a clean right early and the champion can defend. He blocks Rios’ right. Bradley’s volume always impresses the judges. Rios looks to judge Tony Weeks after a Bradley low punch. A good Bradley right and Rios can’t find Bradley for his own clean punch.
ROUND 4: More extended counseling from Atlas in the corner. The fighters exchange inside, Bradley backs out. Then both guys go to the body. Is fatigue setting in for Rios? A Bradley combination to the head, body, then head follow. Bradley’s outpunching Rios inside, plants a right to the jaw.
ROUND 5: Bradley sends a clean left to the face. Bradley holds Rios back to his corner before the referee intervenes. A right hand by Bradley to Rios’ chin hurts the challenger. Another Bradley right comes. The champion said he intended to “amaze” the audience, and he’s picking apart Rios. Rios swings more wildly but isn’t sustaining the pressure as he wanted. Two clean Bradley jabs to the nose lead to a leftright-left to the head by Bradley.
ROUND 6: Rios is throwing a repeated right to Bradley’s head as they hold, Bradley jabs and escapes. He’s still willing to fight inside, but backs away at appropriate times. Right-left to the face by Bradley. Manny Pacquiao couldn’t knock out Rios, so the odds Bradley (12 KOs) can are a longshot, but he’s piling up the points. Left to the body, then one up to the face. Rios looks frustrated and tired.
ROUND 7: Bradley lands a right to the side. Rios is pounding some inside punches, but they aren’t bothering Bradley. Good left hook to the head by Bradley, who’s won the crowd’s support. Rios swings, Bradley ducks.
ROUND 8: Bradley’s left to the face ignites an attack on Rios’ sides. Rios is fighting hunched over. His fitness is not what he reported it to be. Bradley sends a right to the body, then two lefts to the face. Bradley wins an exchange. Another good left by Bradley. Rios nods it doesn’t hurt, but he’s dying in there on points.
ROUND 9: Rios is getting to the desperate stage. Rios hits Bradley with a left. Bradley jabs away, then lands some rights. A good right by Bradley shakes the sweat from Rios’ head. Bradley smacks a hook to the body. Rios is knocked down. Bradley remains on the attack and sends a hard right to the gut followed by a good left body shot, and Rios is down again. This time, referee Weeks stops it 2 minutes, 49 seconds into the round, a technical knockout victory for Timothy Bradley.