Going up in weight class makes Brandon Rios a happier boxer

It's always nice to see Brandon Rios smile.

When the 29-year-old welterweight from Oxnard, Calif., is in his happy place, it means he's not dealing with weight issues, which makes him dangerous in the ring because he can focus on boxing.

Rios, who faces World Boxing Organization welterweight champ Timothy Bradley on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center on HBO, probably wishes he had gone to 147 pounds sooner. Or, at the least, moved up to 140 pounds earlier in his career after struggling to make weight at lightweight (135).

"I've never been happier," said Rios (33-2-1, 24 knockouts). "I don't come to the gym angry anymore. All that negativity I had inside of me, that's gone. I feel like I'm a better fighter now because I don't kill myself having to make weight."

Robert Garcia, Rios' longtime trainer, said he notices the difference. And not just because they decided to get out of Oxnard, where Rios normally prepares for his fights, to Garcia's other gym in Riverside, Calif., a two-hour drive but a million miles away in terms of environment.

"For this fight, I wanted to change the routine, not let him get too comfortable," Garcia said. "This is a huge fight for Brandon in his career.

"In Riverside, there were no distractions. We kept everything tight in the camp. No outsiders. No hangers-on. We did our work, and he's as ready as I've ever seen him for a fight."

When Rios lost his World Boxing Association lightweight belt on the scale in 2012 when he fought Richar Abril at Mandalay Bay, it was a signal that his days as a 135-pound fighter were over. He moved up to 140 pounds for the first two of his three fights with Mike Alvarado, then made the move to welterweight when he faced Manny Pacquiao in Macau in 2013.

And even though Rios lost to Pacquiao, it had nothing to do with the scale. Pacquiao was simply the better fighter.

Rios showed in his subsequent fights — against Diego Chaves (a win by disqualification) and his final fight with Alvarado on Jan. 24 (a third-round technical knockout win) — that 147 pounds is where he wants to be.

He is still fast enough and can move well enough as a welterweight. And he certainly hasn't lost any power.

"If I had to do it over again, I would've left 135 sooner," Rios said. "But I wanted to fight (Yuriorkis) Gamboa, so I stuck around. But that fight never happened, and when I was going to fight Alvarado the first time, we moved up (to 140).

"When I fought John Murray (in December 2011), I literally died trying to make weight. I felt like crap. But those days are behind me. I'm looking leaner now at 147 than I did when I was 135, and I can eat what I want and I'm more mature and more disciplined. I've grown up. No more trips to the drive-thru or the convenience store."

Cameron Dunkin, Rios' manager, looks back on what could have been and said his fighter should have left the lightweight division sooner.

"It was killing Brandon to make 135," Dunkin said. "We stayed there for financial reasons. But when you look at where the welterweight division was (in 2012) and where it is now, yeah, we probably should have moved up to 147 sooner.

"He's right where he wants to be. If you look at him now, he's filled out his body nicely. He's so much happier because he doesn't have to torture himself (to make weight)."

Dunkin said a win over Bradley opens all sorts of possibilities for Rios, a plus-425 betting underdog at the Wynn Race and Sports Book. Bradley (32-1-1, 12 KOs) is a minus-550 favorite.

"There are so many good fights that could be made," Dunkin said. "It'll put him back at the top and bigger than ever before. But first things first."

Dunkin, Bradley's longtime manager until he was fired after Bradley lost his rematch with Pacquiao in April 2014, said he's moved on.

"I don't have any bad feelings toward Tim Bradley," Dunkin said. "I don't like what he did, but he has to live with that decision. Brandon's my guy, and I want him to win and he's going to go 100 mph."

Rios said his plan is to pick up where he left off after the third round of the January fight with Alvarado. He was dominant that night, throwing his combinations, moving around the ring effortlessly, thinking two steps ahead of his opponent and doing some serious damage until Alvarado couldn't answer the bell for the fourth round.

"When I fought Alvarado in January, I felt like my back was against the wall because of what happened when I lost to Pacquiao," Rios said. "Even though I had fought Chaves and won, the Pacquiao loss still bothered me. I still felt like I had something to prove.

"When I beat Alvarado, I still had the candle lit inside of me. It had gone out against Pacquiao. Now, I have to keep it lit for Bradley."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj