Brandon Rios: Diego Chaves a Bad Matchup
By Brian Posada
It’s been a year since Diego Chaves (32-1) gave Keith Thurman a highly competitive fight in what would be an eventual TKO loss for the Argentine slugger.
When HBO announced Chaves would face Brandon Rios (31-2-1), I was excited. This should be a great fight for boxing, both guys have great records and fan friendly styles.
Analyzing the two fighters, however, Diego Chaves appears to be the much better technician. Chaves moves well in the ring, and has some snap behind his punches. If not for Thurman's boxing abilities, Chaves could have pulled a huge upset as I had the fight close on scorecards. Thurman's big punching power saved the day as he connected to Chaves' body and put him down for good. The only quesiton remains, does Rios have that same power and boxing ability Thurman does?
Rios best shot to win this fight is to make it an all out war. His best atrribute in the ring is his ability to take punishment and force his opponent to get sloppy. If Rios can dictate terms in the ring he has a good chance to win.
Additionally, Rios' other advantage is the caliber of fighters he's faced in the last year and half. Although he's coming off decision losses to to Manny Pacquiao and Mike Alvarado, these guys are above the paygrade of Chaves' last three opponents (Thurman being his biggest fight to-date).
As for big fights, don't remind Brandon Rios. His corner and HBO fully realize this is a career defining moment. A third consecutive loss would prove he's no longer a top top welterweight (140 or 147 pounds). A loss could also force HBO to put their Mexican-star against the likes of Ruslan Provodnkov as he lost his last fight as well. This potential matchup would be immensley exciting but a bad career move for Rios and could take years off his shelf-life as a boxer.
Rios is one of those fighters who is too tough for his own good. It makes him fun to watch but also his worst enemy. His trainer, Robert Garcia, does not exactly have a track record of protecting his fighters from excessive punishment. Starting with Deigo Chaves, Rios is really going to have to learn to not be such an easy target and move his feet.
My predictions, Chaves upsets Rios with his boxing skills and accurate punches. Rios is too one-dimensional to win. Chavez could open up a cut or swell up Rios' to the point the ring doctors are forced to stop it. The safe bet would be a decision win for Chaves.
On a side note, I really don't understand HBO's game plan to promote their fighters. Brandon Rios is a big name, he deserves to be on a pay-per-view undercard for Marquez or Pacquiao. This fight would have been a perfect fit rather than watching two unknowns and feel cheated for paying $59.99 to watch one headliner. HBO -- take notes from Showtime and start to win the ppv battle again.
