When Brandon Rios Fights Urbano Antillon, Let Them Do the Fighting, Not Fans….AVILA

photo by Chris Farina

WBA lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios (27-0-1, 20 KOs) of Oxnard mocked challenger Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) of Maywood about his speech and promises a knockout, and the Maywood fighter made a similar vow.

Are they serious?

They’ll fight on July 9 at the Home Depot Center in Carson. “I’m going to take him out,” said Rios during a press conference at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. You can bet both Top Rank fighters are serious.

But why do the fans get into it?

During the L.A. press conference catcalls and name calling emanated from both sides of a room when Rios and Antillon were behind the mike. After Rios made some bold comments and Antillon responded in kind, the Oxnard group began making snide remarks. Then the Maywood guys returned fire.

Fans are not fighting, it’s these two guys.

Years ago a similar fight took place at the Honda Center with an Oxnard fighter’s supporters igniting a melee that saw numerous people hurt and a lot of damage done. The Honda Center banned Oxnard fighters from future events.

This is not gang warfare, this is Rios versus Antillon. Leave it at that. I’m sure the Home Depot Center will not be pleased if destruction and violence takes place outside of the boxing ring.

Rios and Antillon is a fight that has been discussed for more than a year. Long before Rios captured the world title there was talks of the two Southern Californian prizefighters colliding. They’re like a set of brand new hammers that if struck together will cause serious sparks.

Other fight chatter

Undefeated Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KOs) defends the WBC junior middleweight title against United Kingdom’s Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KOs) this Saturday, June 18 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Alvarez is making the first defense of the title he won last March in Anaheim.

Yory Boy Campos (97-15-1, 76 KOs) fights Rogelio Medina (25-1, 19 KOs) in a 10 round middleweight bout on Friday, June 17 in Sonora, Mexico. Campos, a former world champion, is three fights shy of winning his 100th bout. Campos, 39, and Medina, 22, are both from Sonora.

WBA bantamweight titleholder Anselmo Moreno (30-1-1, 10 KOs) is moving up in weight to fight Venezuela’s former flyweight world champion Lorenzo Parra (31-2-1, 18 KOs) on Friday in Panama City for the vacant WBA junior featherweight title. Moreno has not lost a bout since 2002. Parra recently fought Mexico’s Jorge Arce to a draw last September.

Kassim “The Dream” Ouma (27-7-1, 17 KOs), who trains out of Riverside, fights WBA middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin (20-0, 17 KOs) of Kazakhstan on Friday in Panama. Golovkin, 29, is making the second defense of the title. Ouma, 32, is a former junior middleweight world champion.

Two big bouts in Austin, Texas with veteran Grady Brewer (27-12, 15 KOs) meeting undefeated Fernando Guerrero (21-0, 16 KOs)  in a middleweight match and Steve Forbes (35-9, 11 KOs) testing undefeated Karim Mayfield (13-0-1, 8 KOs) in a welterweight clash. Both fights take place on Friday, June 17.

Argentina’s Jonathan Barros (32-1-1, 18 KOs) defends the WBA featherweight world title against Panama’s Celestino Caballero (34-3, 23 KOs) on Saturday, June 18 in Argentina. It’s Barros first title defense. Caballero is a former junior featherweight world champion. His last fight was a loss to Jason Litzau by decision.

France’s Nadia Hokmi (17-6-1) fights Germany’s Julia Sahin (20-2) for the vacant WIBF junior bantamweight world title on Saturday in France. Hokmi holds the WBF junior bantamweight title and Sahin is a former junior flyweight world champion.

IBF lightweight titleholder Miguel Vazquez (28-3, 12 KOs) defends against Marlon Aguilar (25-10-1, 18 KOs) on Saturday in Toluca, Mexico. Vazquez is making his second title defense.

Undefeated middleweights Martin Murray (22-0, 9 KOs) and Nick Blackwell (8-0, 2 KOs) clash on Saturday, June 18 in Lancashire, England. Also, featherweights Joe Murray (10-0, 5 KOs) and Alfred Tetteh (18-3-1, 15 KOs) are on the card.

WBO flyweight titleholder Omar Narvaez (35-0-2, 19 KOs) retained the title by decision over William Urina (17-2, 14 KOs) on Saturday in Buenos Aires. Also, Yesica Bopp (16-0, 7 KOs) retained the WBO and WBA junior flyweight titles with a ninth round TKO over Yesenia Castrejon (9-7).

New Mexico’s Austin Trout (23-0, 13 KOs) retained the WBA junior middleweight world title by decision over Mexico’s David Lopez (40-13, 23 KOs) on Saturday in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. It was Trout’s first title defense.

WBC junior bantamweight titleholder Ana Maria Torres (25-3-3, 15 KOs) stopped Brazil’s Vannessa Guimaraes (9-4, 8 KOs) in round four on Saturday. Guimaraes had also been stopped by knockout against Kaliesha West last year in Peru.

Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista (31-2, 23 KOs) beat Mexico’s Heriberto Ruiz (46-11-2, 28 KOs) by technical decision after seven rounds. The fight took place on Saturday in Cebu City in the Philippines.

South Africa’s Noni Tenge (11-0-1, 9 KOs) knocked out New Zealand’s Daniella Smith (10-2) in round four to win the IBF welterweight world title on Saturday in Carnival City, South Africa. It was Smith’s first title defense.

Ukraine’s Avtandil Khurtsidze (25-2-2, 15 KOs) stopped Dionisio Miranda (21-7-2, 18 KOs) at 2:37 of round one to keep the IBO middleweight title. The fight took place in Kiev, Ukraine.

Lateef “Power” Kayode (17-0, 14 KOs) beat Matt Godfrey (20-3, 10 KOs) after 10 rounds by decision in a cruiserweight fight. Chris Avalos (19-1, 15 KOs) handed Russia’s Khabir Suleymanov (11-1, 5 KOs) his first pro loss in a bantamweight bout. Glendale’s Art Hovhannesyan ( 14-0-1, 8 KOs) knocked out Archie Ray Marquez (12-1, 8 KOs) of New Mexico and Rashad Holloway (12-2-2) beat Jhon Berrio (15-10) after eight rounds at Chumash Casino on Friday.

Comment on this article