It’s been a busy year for Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and it just got even busier. Originally scheduled to fight on the “In Harms Way” card on 4 December in Anaheim, Ca instead Rios has been promoted to fight on the huge Pacquiao-Margarito card in Dallas on Saturday. Rios 24, entered 2010 as a prospect and if he can secure his third win of the year he’ll exit it as a contender very much in line to face the winner of Humberto Soto-Urbano Antillon for the WBC title in early 2011. So far this year he has beaten Jorge Luis Teron KO3 & Anthony Peterson DQ7 who’s combined records were 53-1-1(36). Here’s what Rios had to say.
Hello Brandon, welcome to 15rounds.com
Anson Wainwright – Things have changed for you over the last week, it seems now that you will face Omri Lowther on 13 Novermber. What can you tell us about this situation and how it came about?
Brandon Rios – Well Kelly Pavlik pulled out with an injured rib. I guess Bob Arum and the people at Top Rank who I’d like to thank for giving me the opportunity for mentioning my name and giving me the opportunity to fight on a card like this. So I’m blessed. I was ready for December 4, preparing myself but fortunately they brought up my name and they want me to fight on this card. I’m ready, I’ve been I the gym since my last fight with Anthony Peterson. So it’s not like I’m not in shape. I’m ready to fight.
Anson Wainwright – You had a terrific win back in September when you beat Anthony Peterson via Seventh round disqualification. What are your thoughts on that fight looking back?
Brandon Rios – I just did a tremendous job, I did what my corner told me to do. I just followed the game plan. From there I dominated the fight and I think I did it in good fashion and good way to show people I’m one of the Lightweight contenders out there. Hopefully i can fight for a world championship next year or something.
Anson Wainwright – Looking at Anthony Peterson in that fight, do you think he was looking for a way out and got himself disqualified because he knew on the night you were going to stop him?
Brandon Rios – I think that too, I think that was his way to get out of the fight. He hadn’t been knocked down or out before and I dropped him in the fifth round. He’d never been dropped or knocked out so he figured I’ve already been knocked down, I don’t want to get knocked out so I’ll take myself out of the game. So he threw low blows, low blows that’s what I think he did.
Anson Wainwright – It’s been a huge year for you, you’ve moved from prospect to Contender. What do you think has clicked for you?
Brandon Rios – What helped me out a lot too was finding my motivation in the ring and determination is my wife. She’s been helping me out a lot keeping me out of trouble a lot. Not only that, I’m taking training really serious this time. I’m not like I used to be. I messed around with people go home get in trouble. I’ve turned my life around and I see training pays off. If you train right you can make good adjustments in the ring and outside the ring. So lately I’ve done my work and my wife has helped me out a lot. I give everything up to her.
Anson Wainwright – Your next scheduled to fight against Omri Lowther what do you know about him?
Brandon Rios – I’ve seen some video’s of him the other day and we have tape of him. I know he’s an awkward fighter, quick hands and moves a lot. We’re going to be ready and prepare for that fight.
Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team. Who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym to you train at?
Brandon Rios – My manager is Cameron Dunkin. Robert Garcia is my trainer then I’m promoted by Top Rank. I have other team like my assistant Paco Navarro there part of my team and another guy Javier Garcia their all in the guy with me constantly helping me out. They help me with what’s wrong, what’s right, my weights, they help me with everything. My wife is my nutritionalist so she takes care of my food. I train at Robert Garcia Boxing Academy, Team Grandpa.
Anson Wainwright – You lived in Garden City, Kansas when you were young, can you tell us about your early days?
Brandon Rios – Well I was born in Texas but I grew up all my life in Garden City, Kansas that’s my home town and back there I had a lot of trouble. Now that stuff is over I’m looking forward to the future. I go back for a week or two then comeback before when I was getting in trouble I used to go back for a month or two get in trouble go to court, have to pay fines and stuff like that. Now I am looking to the future, my daughter is on the way. So I’m looking forward to being with her now.
Anson Wainwright – We touched on in in some of the other questions but getting married has helped you settle down in a big way. How is married life treating you?
Brandon Rios – Well today married life is going great. We still haven’t lost that love since we fell in love the first time. Everybody has different relationships but I can say I love being married right now. Everything she does for me is great. She loves the sport that I do, she’s in love with the sport that I do. She’s a great girl. She helped me out with a lot of things in the ring and outside the ring. I have no complaints, she’s an awesome girl. She’s very smart.
Anson Wainwright – What can you tell us about what you like to do away from Boxing?
Brandon Rios – When I’m not training I go to the gym and see the kids train. I stay at home and me and my wife we go to the movies or we’ll have a romantic dinner something like that. mainly just stay with my wife and family now we’re waiting for my daughter to come. Last time we were getting the nursery ready buying stuff.
Anson Wainwright – You have a big cross town rivalry with Victor Ortiz, what can you tell us about how that is today and about that situation?
Brandon Rios – Well I don’t know the situation today. What I said before is I’m still ready to do it if he is. It’s just a long story between me and him, it’s a blood bath. Bad blood between each other and you know hopefully they make the fight happen if they don’t we’ll see what happens in the future. If he keeps winning like he has been and if I keep doing what I’m doing you never know it could be Vargas-De La Hoya 2! Haha
Anson Wainwright – Which one would you be out of those two?
Brandon Rios – This time Vargas will come out with the victory!
Anson Wainwright – Your in camp with Antonio Margarito he’s fight Manny Pacquiao. What’s it like having someone like him to learn from?
Brandon Rios – It’s a blessing, I’m glad he came to the gym and show what it takes to be a champion and the way he trains is unbelievable. He trains like he’s never been a champion before and he wants to become one. He has so much desire to become champion again. It’s the same, if you see him work it’s crazy, he’s 110% in shape. He’s ready, he’s ready to rock and roll, he’s ready to be champ again. He’s ready to show the world who he was and all the false things they said about his hands. He’s ready to show the world Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito is back again.
Anson Wainwright – How do you see the fight going?
Brandon Rios – A late round stoppage between 8 and 12 rounds. To me Margarito throws punches from ever angle, he keeps coming, he’s like a Tornado it’s the perfect name it suits him. He keeps throwing punches from different angles, different sides everywhere. It’s like there’s 3 guys in there fighting you.
Anson Wainwright – What fighters growing up did you look up to?
Brandon Rios – I always looked up to Julio Cesar Chavez Snr and I looked up to Marco Antonio Barrera and I looked up to Chico Corrales and Arturo Gatti. I resemble a bit of everybody I kept looking at there styles the way they fight. I was in camp with Barrera and picked up some stuff he taught me and they helped out a lot and I thank him for teaching me. I was in camp with them for like two months. It was awesome training with a World champion, being a sparring partner.
Anson Wainwright – Barrera is with Top Rank like yourself, is that a fight you would like? Or do you think this guy is one of my idols and it’s not something I’d like to do now?
Brandon Rios – It’s business in the ring. If we had a fight, I’d fight him. But outside the ring he’s my hero, one of the idols I look up too. I’ll be his friend no matter what. I have respect for him but when I’m in the ring that goes out of the window. It’s my career verses his career.
Anson Wainwright – What fight would you most like today?
Brandon Rios – The fight i want most today is Humberto Soto, “La Zorrita” he’s fights on December 4. He defends his title with Antillon. Hopefully we can make it happen instead of moving up in weight, i really want to fight him. If not there’s the winner of Marquez-Katsidis. I’m ready to take on these type of fights.
Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans?
Brandon Rios – Thank you for the support, thank you for following my career. People who don’t know me hopefully can tune in on Saturday and see me fight.
Thanks for your time Brandon, keep up the good work.
Anson Wainwright
15rounds.com
