WBO champ Bradley turns to Atlas as trainer for Rios bout

LOS ANGELES — Timothy Bradley said he needs a new voice in his corner, someone who will tell him when he's not doing things right and will hold him accountable.

The 32-year-old World Boxing Organization welterweight champion could have picked anyone to train him for his title defense against Brandon Rios on Nov. 7 at the Thomas & Mack Center after parting ways with longtime trainer Joel Diaz on Aug. 30. But Bradley chose a voice boxing fans are familiar with — Teddy Atlas — the longtime ESPN analyst who will spend the next seven weeks with Bradley (32-1-1, 12 knockouts).

"I'm an extremist," Bradley said Wednesday at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where the kickoff news conference took place for the HBO-televised fight. "That's why I'm here. When I believe in something, when I want something, I put everything into it. Teddy's the same way. He's going to give me all of Teddy. He's going to be completely dialed in the next seven weeks. He's going to give me all his attention and motivation."

Bradley said Atlas can help him clean up some elements of his craft that have slipped in recent months. Bradley did absorb some heavy blows from Jessie Vargas when the two fought June 27 in Carson, Calif., a fight Bradley won by unanimous decision, even though he got rocked late in the 12th round.

"I need more discipline to my game," he said. "I need to do things correctly. Keeping my hands up. Not getting hit with those big shots like I did against Jessie Vargas. Stop making so many mistakes in the ring.

"Teddy is going to tell me straight up what I'm doing wrong, and then he's going to correct it. That's what I need at this point of my career."

Rios, who has been with trainer Robert Garcia for years, said Bradley's decision to shake up his corner doesn't necessarily give the challenger an advantage.

"Bradley's a very smart fighter, and whatever he did, he did it for a reason," said Rios, 29. "We're preparing to see Bradley at his best, and I'm focusing on what I do to make sure I'm 100 percent ready."

To that end, Rios (33-2-1, 24 KOs) also changed his normal routine, moving his training from his hometown of Oxnard, Calif., to a ranch in Riverside, about 130 miles away. He said it's strictly business in the new locale, and it will keep him focused on his preparation.

"I know Bradley's going to come out and fight," Rios said. "So I have to be ready for everything. I'm not going to change the way I fight."

Rios hasn't been in action since January, when he destroyed Mike Alvarado in three rounds in their third meeting after they had split their first two fights. He said waiting around got him a bit restless.

"I felt like I was suspended, and this time I didn't do nothing," said Rios, who was suspended for six months in 2013 following his loss to Manny Pacquiao in Macau after he tested positive for methylhexaneamine, which is a dietary supplement but also a performance-enhancing drug that is banned for competition.

"I hate waiting around. I need to stay active. But we've got the fight we want, and I promise I'll be ready to go on Nov. 7."

Bradley said he wasn't going to rehash why he decided to drop Diaz. But he said he holds no ill will toward his former cornerman.

"There's no need to live in the past," Bradley said. "We're moving forward. This is an important fight."

Atlas did not attend Wednesday's news conference. According to Bradley's wife and manager, Monica, Atlas will arrive Saturday in Palm Springs, Calif., where Bradley lives and trains.

"We know what Rios does, and Teddy will have me ready," Bradley said. "I've got to fight a smart fight, and that means knowing when to work inside and trade and when not to.

"Me and Teddy talked about that, and Teddy said, 'Tim, you can't use your balls in this fight, you have to use your brain.' He told me I have to choose my poison the right way.

"It's the same kind of risk as Jessie Vargas, just a different style. But Brandon Rios isn't going to take me to an elite level if I beat him. I've been at the elite level. I fought Manny Pacquiao twice. I fought (Juan Manuel) Marquez. I fought against Ruslan Provodnikov. The list goes on and on. The only top guy in the division I didn't fight was (Floyd) Mayweather. Beating Brandon Rios will just be another great fighter on my resume."

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