Brandon Rios Defeats Richard Abril in Possibly the Worst Decision of the Year

After watching the Brandon Rios vs. Richard Abril Lightweight title fight, one thing comes to mind. That one thing is that this was possibly the worst decision that I have ever seen. 

Honestly, this fight wasn't even remotely close. Abril controlled virtually every second of the fight with his stiff left jab and his right hand, and his Mayweather-esque defense didn't give Rios many opportunities to land, and when Rios did land, most of his blows were glancing, at best. 

One key factor in this fight was that when Rios got inside, which is where he wanted to be, he wasn't effective at all. That is the telltale story of the fight. Where Rios was supposed to dominate, he didn't; he was beaten at his own game, plain and simple. 

To be honest, I didn't even watch the decision. I saw the fight, had Abril winning 9 rounds to 3, at the absolute worst, and I promptly left my apartment and went out. It was only upon returning that I found out Abril had lost, and frankly I was shocked, I literally could not believe it. 

This type of decision is what turns fans away from boxing. You get a guy like Abril, who was a huge underdog by the way, who comes out and fights his heart out only to be robbed by the atrocious judging. It really is a stain on the sport. These judges should be banned immediately.

Regarding Rios, he keeps his undefeated record and sets the stage for a July fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, who recorded a win in Mexico City earlier tonight.

He'll likely get knocked out in that fight, based off what he showed tonight. Rios is nowhere near elite status, and has no ability whatsoever to adapt mid-fight. 

As for Abril, he fought an almost perfect fight, and hopefully he'll get another shot at a title, because he certainly deserves it. 

Decisions like this have no place in boxing. It's flat-out wrong that Abril lost, and decisions like tonight's are killing the sport. Let us hope that it ceases and that the rest of the year brings us fair judging.

Until next time.

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