Interview with undefeated lightweight champion Brandon Rios!

Undefeated lightweight champion Brandon Rios (29-0-1 22 KOs) took some time out of his day today to sit with us here at Inside The Ropes/The SkinNYC and answer a few questions, covering topics such as a superfight with Yuriorkis Gamboa, Juan Manuel Marquez responding to Freddie Roach’s challenge to fight Khan and more! Here you go fight fans!

ITR: Hey how are you doing Brandon?

Brandon: I’m doing good, just here chillin’ with my family and all. I’m in LA today.

ITR: Are you getting ready for a fight or just kind of staying in shape right now?

Brandon: Well right now it looks like it was scheduled for March 3rd but now I’m hearing April 14th I was getting ready for March 3rd I was in the gym already, I was in the gym 2 weeks after the Murray fight so I’ve been training for a while now.

ITR: Speaking of that fight did you happen to see the picture of Murray afterwards?

Brandon: Yeah! I seen it on my twitter I couldn’t believe it this guy took a tremendous beating it just shows how much heart and dedication he had he really wanted to win he didn’t give up.

ITR: That was a tough fight and you came in a little over weight are you planning up moving up or staying here?

Brandon: Yeah well I originally came in 6 ounces over they gave me 30 minutes to lose the weight I came back 1 pound over I was thinking how did that happen? It kind of sucked but right now I’m working with a nutritionist so far it has been going good, the food he has been feeding me is good, I feel comfortable, I feel good already.

ITR: Well with a fight scheduled for March or April, do you know who the opponent is?

Brandon: Well it’s supposed to be March 3rd with John Molina but it’s getting rescheduled to the 14th and it might be with Gamboa from what I am hearing. If it is with Gamboa that will definitely be my last fight at 135 that’s the only reason I’m really staying at 135, is to fight Gamboa so if the rumors are right then we will be fighting if not fuck it I’ll probably just go right up to 140. But that’s the guy we want then I’m going to move to 140 to challenge the big dogs but he’s (Gamboa) calling me out so I don’t want to look like a dumbass and not fight him so hopefully it can happen the fans would love it too

ITR: Me personally one fight I want to see, and a lot of the fans want to see is you against Juan Manuel Marquez, how do you feel about this?

Brandon: Ah man I would love to get that fight, hopefully that could happen, it would be great, it would be an honor so hopefully, but I keep grounded whatever my manager Cameron Dunkin decides on is what’s going to happen that’s why I pay him, he picks the opponents I just train hard and get ready for whoever.

ITR: This next question is from our Facebook page and it is a mix from Chris Vallez and Jay Vasquez, they asked who did you look up to most as a fighter and if you could go back in time, who would you fight?

Brandon: I looked up to Julio Cesar Chavez, Jose Luis Castillo, Micky Ward, Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales and if I had the chance I would love to have fought Castillo or Corrales because I know the type of warriors they are and I know they would give me a war and I would give it back right at them so if I could have any fight it would be against those guys.

ITR: This is another question from our Facebook and it comes from Tanya Castanon, she feels that your fight with Perez in 2008 should not have been a draw and that you won that fight, especially since a year later you knocked him out. Do you feel you won that fight and what could you have done differently to have prevented from having to have the rematch?

Brandon: Well you know I fought him in his hometown and when I went to Denver I wasn’t used to the altitude I went 2 days before the fight to make sure we were there for the weigh in. So we kind of messed up we weren’t used to the altitude and climate change and it really affected me. The draw is nothing big I still proved he was nothing for me when I knocked him out in the 7th round and I’d rather get that draw than a loss in his hometown.

ITR: I noticed you said you looked up to Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. what do u think of his son and his situation with Sergio Martinez?

Brandon: Well it’s one of those deals where it looks like its apart of business you know it happens nobody really knows Martinez too much so I don’t know what to say about that man it’s just a business move really.

ITR: The rumors online say that the fight with Molina is at a catch weight of 137, is there a reason for that?

Brandon: Well Molina fights at 135 and it’s not for a title it’s not for anything, it’s just a fight so why not do it at 137? Or even 140? Everyone thinks I can’t make 135 cause I’m too big cause of what happened in New York. It’s not just cause I’m too big, it’s my fault really, I am to blame, I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t training correctly and I tried to cut weight at the last minute. That’s why I hired a nutritionist I think now I can hit 135 with no problem but I’m really just waiting on Gamboa at 135.

ITR: So if its Molina at 137, or Gamboa at 135, and if not either?

Brandon: If it is Molina that’s fine if it’s not Molina then you know fuck it Molina talks a lot of shit he keeps blabbing his mouth saying he can beat me and all and that he will fight me for free he just wants to knock me out but now when my promoter and manager offered him the fight like here you go here is Brandon Rios for you now he wants too much money. Why try and fight if you can’t handle it stop being a bitch about it.

ITR: So when you do move to 140 who do you want?

Brandon: Definitely Maidana, it’s a fight me and the fans would love to see. Everyone would love it the fans would be the winner of this one not me or Maidana it would be a war, and then if not him then (Lamont) Peterson I already beat one Peterson why not fight the other one you know and if (Juan Manuel) Marquez wants to fight I would like to fight him too but I’ll leave that up to my manager he looks after my best interest so whoever he decides.

ITR: Now recently Freddie Roach mentioned he wants you to move up to 140 so Amir Khan can give you a pretty good beating, how do you feel about that?

Brandon: (laughs) Man I’m a better inside fighter than Peterson and he proved that Khan can’t fight inside fighters and I’m a better inside fighter than Peterson. Everyone thought he was this and that but Peterson beat him fair and square yeah he was holding his head down I saw the fight but he beat him fair and square. It wasn’t about fighting in his hometown Khan took that fight in his hometown he knew the advantages so he took that fight fair and square that’s his fault. Khan isn’t as special as everyone thinks he is.

ITR: You have had a string of tough fights, Anthony Peterson when he was hitting you low, Miguel Acosta, Urbano Antillon how do you feel about those fights?

Brandon: You know Miguel Acosta I see him like Gamboa and I think that fight would go the same exact way just a repeat of what happened to Acosta.

ITR: I can definitely see Amir Khan doing the same trying to outbox you.

Brandon: Yeah they keep saying they will box circles around me and beat my ass but hey if Freddie Roach wants to see this fight let’s do it look what Peterson did to Khan and I hit harder so let’s get it on.

ITR: Alright Brandon explain to us briefly about the beef with Victor Ortiz.

Brandon: Well you know I’ll make it short when a fighter leaves his trainer on bad terms that’s fine but he left and brought my name into it and talked a lot of shit it just got bad. I never had a problem with this guy until he started hating on me for no reason I never did shit to this guy I was always happy for him since were from that same town.

ITR: Alright last question Brandon, Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao?

Brandon: Oh man Pacquiao won’t take it because he knows what will happen to him if he does. Look at what Juan Manuel Marquez did to him in last time and I think Marquez won that fight. I think Floyd is a better technician and more skilled than Marquez too. Floyd will beat him not by knockout or anything but I see him taking a decision.

ITR: Thank you Brandon, we appreciate the time and look forward to your next fight we love your entertaining style.

Brandon: I fight like that for the fans cause I want them to get what they pay for, and always enjoy an action fight and I will always fight like that I do it to please the fans, not myself.