Brandon Rios calls Timothy Bradley 'ticket back to top'
Wednesday 28 October 2015 14:07, UK
Brandon Rios has warned next week's opponent Timothy Bradley he is nothing more than "a ticket back to the top" of boxing.
Bradley brings the WBO welterweight belt to their Las Vegas showdown on November 7, and a Rios win would see him emulate the champion's feat of winning world titles in two divisions.
Rios has rebuilt his career since back-to-back defeats to Mike Alvarado and Manny Pacquiao in 2013, winning a bad-tempered meeting with Diego Chaves and avenging the Alvarado loss.
And the 29-year-old told a gathering of media at his California base he has left no stone unturned in his preparation for Bradley, whose sole defeat came against Pacquiao 18 months ago.
"We are ready for the best Tim Bradley, the one who beat Juan Manuel Marquez [in October 2013]," said Rios, quoted on the World Boxing News website.
"We brought in three kinds of sparring partners - a boxer, a brawler and a boxer-brawler. I want to get back on top in boxing. Bradley is in my way. Bradley is going to be my ticket back to the top."
Rios' trainer Robert Garcia said: "The way to beat Tim Bradley is to put on pressure in the fight and try to knock him out. We plan to cut off the ring and turn this into a real fight."
