Uppercut Magazine.com - Bam Bam

By Wendy Rodriguez

Two Southern California lightweights Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (27-0-1, 20 KOs) and Urbano Antillon (28-2, 20 KOs) meet in the Home Depot Center in Carson on Saturday July 9 for the WBA lightweight title. The fight will be televised by Showtime.

Many call it a grudge match between Oxnard’s Rios and Maywood’s Antillon and when they met at a press conference in early June the words spit out by both were pure fire and hell.

“He was running around saying I didn’t want to fight him and that I was chicken. He was just running his mouth and after awhile he just started to get to me,” claims Rios.

A prior engagement between the pair was scuttled when Rios was injured before the fight. Rios claimed that Antillon doubted his manhood and a blood feud between the two brewed hotter each day.

A Top Rank press conference last month saw both toss acidic words at each other and soon their supporters joined in the verbal attacks. The time for words is over now.

“There’s just going to be me and him,” Antillon told Rios supporters during a press conference in downtown L.A. “You’re not going to be in there.”

A come-from-behind win by Rios after a knockdown by the former champion Miguel Acosta of Venezuela to win by a knockout was a raw exhibition of strength and willpower. The Oxnard lightweight showed what many had seen the past 15 months: Rios was the strongest lightweight and could not be stopped.

“I think I showed the world that I have a lot of heart and that I love boxing a lot and that I love the business,” Rios says of his title win that happened this past February.

Antillon fought the same Acosta and though he was dead even up to round nine according to a pair of judges, but he was ultimately knocked out by the Venezuelan roughly two years ago. That loss doesn’t bother him.

After battling with Humberto Soto to a virtual standstill and losing a close decision war, Antillon says that fighters offer different obstacles and that when he meets Rios that former loss is not going to be a factor.

“Our styles are completely different,” Antillon said. “Just because he beat Acosta doesn’t mean he’s going to beat me. It doesn’t work that way.”

Rios and Antillon are both aggressive pressure fighters who like to impose their will while battering the body and head nonstop. It’s two rocks slamming into each other and who knows which will crack first.

Other bouts

Former welterweight world champion Kermit Cintron (32-3-1, 28 KOs) fights upstart Carlos Molina (18-4-2) in a 10-round junior middleweight match. Cintron still can crack and is hoping to prove his last fight in the same arena a year ago will not be repeated. That’s when he fought Paul Williams and seemed to dive out of the ring and did not want to get back in the ring. Mexico’s Molina has not lost in four years and has beaten Danny Perez, Allen Conyers and drew with Erislandy Lara. He’s on a very hot streak.

Russian middleweight prospect Matt Korobov (15-0, 9 KOs) fights Cuba’s Lester Gonzalez (12-3-2) who is struggling to remain a fringe contender. It should be interesting.

Speedy Filipino Mercito Gesta (21-0-1, 11 KOs) recently signed with Top Rank and gets a decent test with Francisco Lorenzo (36-10, 16 KOs) a tough Dominican. Don’t be surprised if Gesta is matched for a lightweight title soon. Lorenzo is not easy. He gave Luis Ramos and Erik Morales tough fights recently.

Others on the card are former Notre Dame defensive back Mike Lee, welterweight Rodrigo Garcia, lightweight Jose Roman, and junior featherweight Gabino Saenz.

Tickets are still available and begin at $25.

Fights on television

Fri. ESPN2, 6 p.m., Jesus Gonzalez (26-1) vs. Henry Buchanan (20-2).

Fri. Telefutura, 11:30 p.m. Jessie Vargas (15-0) vs. Walter Estrada (39-14-1).

Sat. Showtime, 10 p.m. Brandon Rios (27-0-1) vs. Urbano Antillon (28-2).

Sat. HBO, 10:15 p.m. Paul Williams (39-2) vs. Erislandy Lara (15-0-1).