Humberto Soto beats Brandon Rios to earn unanimous decision win in Mexico
Sunday 24 February 2019 08:10, UK
Humberto Soto outboxed Brandon Rios in a battle of former lightweight belt holders to earn a unanimous decision victory in their super-welterweight bout in Tijuana, Mexico.
The 38-year-old Mexican, nicknamed 'The Crafty Little Fox', landed clean and fast punches before he offset Rios' aggression to carry him to a 119-111, 118-112, 118-112 upset win.
Soto came into the fight with talk it could prove to be the last of a professional career which has spanned 22 years but he proved he can still compete, while 32-year-old Rios suffered his fifth defeat.
The early stages saw Soto build up an early lead by beating Rios to the punch on a regular basis and significantly in the final moments of each of the opening five rounds, which helped lead to a wide margin of victory on the scorecards.
Rios, who claimed a stoppage win over Ramon Alvarez, brother of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in his last fight in November, did prove a relentless presence as he sought to land his share of punches but was unable to turn the fight in his favour.
