That's the way to explode onto the national stage. Top Rank had big plans for Brandon Rios, but none of that could happen without the young Mexican-American beating a very good champion in Miguel Acosta. Rios did exactly that, scoring a 10th round knockout, after what was nine-plus rounds of rock'em, sock'em between the hard-hitting lightweights on Showtime.
Rios, 24, fell behind 4-0 on two of the judges' scorecards before storming back to knock down Acosta in the sixth, eighth and 10th rounds. The victory gives him his first world title. The new WBA lightweight champ is now 27-0-1 with 19 KO's.
"Like [promoter] Bob Arum said, I'm a late bloomer coming to the game. As rounds go, I get stronger," Rios told Showtime's Jim Gray. "I just go back and listen to my corner. He kept telling me, 'fight a smart fight, keep close, keep close. Don’t let him get your distance because when you do, he gets his power shots.' He’s very powerfull. I just kept putting on pressure."
Acosta (28-4-2) started quickly. His combination of movement and power punching had Rios on his heels. The Kansan, now living in California, ate some monster shots in the first and third rounds.
"Now I can say I have a pretty good chin," Rios said. "He caught me with some pretty good shots. Shots that really hurt."
Rios kept pushing forward and began to change things in the fifth. Acosta got suckered into fighting along the ropes and in the corners. The Venezuelan got drilled to the body, then neck and finally by a short left jab that floored him in the sixth with 2:14 left. He wasn't seriously hurt and brawled with Rios the rest of the round. In the eighth, Rios got him down again with a left hook that sent an off-balance Acosta stumbling to his left.
The pace wore down Acosta and he became way too stationary in the ninth. He fought off the ropes for most of the round. It may have been the rouind of the fight, as they pelted one another with heavy shots.
Acosta was gassed in the tenth. Rios pushed him into a corner and landed three chopping rights that put Acosta down for good. His corner was so concerned, they laid on top of the downed fighter to ensure the stoppage.
Rios outlanded Acosta 190-156, with 182 of those shot labeled power punches. All three judges had Rios ahead on the cards 86-83. This writer had Rios up 85-84.
This was a crowning moment for Rios, a kid who in the past has struggle with his behavior and discipline.
"[Winning the title] means a lot. It means a lot to a kid like me," Rios said. "Always in and out of trouble. Almost had his career taken away. To come back and do an awesome performance, become a world champion, anybody out there can do it. Just stick to your dreams."
Arum, his promoter, suggested big things are on the horizon for Rios.
"A star was born tonight," Arum said. "Miguel Acosta is standing there, he was a helluva champion. This young man is going to be a superstar. Right now we’re looking for some of the bigger names in boxing to put Brandon with."
The possibilities are endless for Rios. Lightweight and 140 pounds are filled with star fighters like Juan Manuel Marquez, Amir Khan, Humberto Soto, Marcos Maidana, Marco Antonio Barrera, Timothy Bradley, Robert Guerrero, Devon Alexander, Victor Ortiz, Michael Katisidis and Andreas Kotelnik.
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