Kevin Mitchell ‘is the next opponent’ for Brandon Rios
Posted: September 2, 2011 by Alan Dawson
The reigning champion of the regular version of the WBA lightweight world championship, Brandon Rios, has indicated that, for his next prizefight, he will be taking on Britain’s top 135lb campaigner; Kevin Mitchell. The powerful brawler from Oxnard, California, was set to feature on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez’s dust-up but, instead, a date of Saturday, December 10 on Showtime has been penciled in.
Picture: Brandon Rios weighing-in for Omri Lowther bout. Credit: Stacey Verbeek - Maple Avenue Boxing Gym, Dallas
A boxer-puncher, Mitchell has only once been defeated, however, it was against his most notable foe in Michael Katsidis in the Englishman’s backyard of the Boleyn Ground in east London. Mitchell was blasted out in three rounds amid rumours that his training camp had been beset by personal problems and his mindset was not right for a contest of that calibre.
A former Commonwealth champion at super featherweight, Mitchell (32-1-0, 24ko) embarked on a 14 month hiatus following the stoppage loss to Katsidis and returned earlier this year, on July 16, to resoundingly beat the normally resilient, erstwhile undefeated and well-ranked John Murray within eight rounds in a fight of the year nominee.
The victory was one week after Rios’ outstanding three round blowout over Urbano Antillon and there was much talk during fight week that the winners would be aligned together. Speaking to Boxing Scene, Rios (28-0-1, 21ko) confirmed: “That’s the word right now, that’s what it looks like so far.
“We don’t know yet, we haven’t seen the contract,” the 25-year-old American, who will be making the second defence of the WBA title that he won in February due to a ten round technical knockout over Miguel Acosta, added. “It hasn’t been on ink so we don’t really know. But that’s the word right now – that Kevin Mitchell is the next opponent.”
Regarding Mitchell’s loss to Katsidis, Rios said: “Everybody that goes into that ring I respect. Boxing is a hard sport so I’m not overlooking him because maybe he had a bad day with Michael Katsidis, you never know. So I will be ready for whatever he brings. I’m going to be ready for whatever. I’m just going to mentally and physically prepare myself for that.”
Mitchell recently sent a tweet to his followers that would appear in sync with Rios’ statement: “I’ve had the best news!” The Dagenham Destroyer, who has also been linked with a Katsidis rematch, said.
