Rios, who has a mark of 18-0 with 8 KOs, believes he had made the full adjustment to the pro game where the amateurs are a sprint and the paid ranks are more of a marathon. He explains, “It’s so much a slower pace; I think age has a lot to do with it, a lot of patience as well. That’s one of the key factors and you just need to relax a little bit more.”
Time is on Rios’ side. After all, he’s still just 22 years old.
“Honestly, there’s no rush with him,” said his manager, Frank Espinoza, to Maxboxing earlier this week. “He’s still very young and he’s putting in a lot of rounds and gaining experience, which is great. We don’t really need to hurry Ronny into anything he may not be ready for quite yet. When you bring up a fighter, it doesn’t matter who it is; it’s not about just winning the title but having a boxer that is ready to defend it over time. So we just want to continue to get Ronny some rounds and let him develop.”
Espinoza, who has managed several world champions from Martin Castillo and Israel Vazquez to Abner Mares, points out, “Every fighter matures differently. There is no set formula or timetable in doing this but you can never rush your boxer. That’s the key thing.”
Rios is facing Rodela, a tough, rugged journeyman who has seen better days. In his last outing, he was halted in two by the hard-punching Terence Crawford in early June.
“I’m going to try to get some rounds,” said Rios. “He fights with a lot of heart. He has a lot of experience; he fought against some of the best prospects so I expect a very tough fight. I expect him to be in my face and come forward throughout the whole fight.”
SHOW INFO
If you’re thinking about attending this show, here’s some information (from a press release):
This evening of world class professional boxing is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate. Doors open at 6:00pm PT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00pm PT. The TeleFutura broadcast begins at 12:00am ET/PT.
Tickets, priced at $25, $35 and $45, are available for purchase at the Fantasy Springs Box Office, by calling (800) 827-2946 or online at www.fantasyspringsresort.com.
