Cotto vs. Margarito: Brandon Rios Scores Crucial Undercard Win over John Murray

Brandon Rios picked up a critical win over John Murray on the Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito undercard on Saturday night. It's a victory which keeps Rios undefeated for his career (29-0-1) and helps him maintain his spot on the lightweight ladder.

Since he failed to make weight, Rios was unable to regain his WBA lightweight title. That didn't make the bout any less important, though. He needed to continue his positive momentum and open himself up for bigger fights in the future.

Any time a boxer can go 30 fights without dropping a single one, people around the sport start to take notice. Especially with boxing in need of some new superstars to emerge.

He's been on several marquee undercards, including Manny Pacquiao vs. Margarito, and should ensure another nice payday with his win against Murray, who drops his second straight fight after an extended unbeaten run to begin his career.

Rios is known for his brawling style and Saturday night's bout was no different. Both men got their fair share of heavy shots in and gave the crowd something to cheer about before the main event.

As the rounds began to wear on, Rios' edge began to grow. He started firing some haymakers and eventually the referee stepped in to call it off with Murray no longer able to defend himself. The TKO came just over two minutes into the 11th round.

Now that he's escaped another fight unscathed, he has to get his weight issues under control. It cannot become a habit to show up overweight if he wants to take his career to the next level.

Even though it was clear on Saturday night that he has a lot of potential, you have to wonder how dedicated Rios is to his craft if he knows he can't possess the belt unless he meets weight and still doesn't get the job done.

However, that's all in the past now. He must focus on the future and start looking at potential opponents for his next fight.

There's still a lot to prove, but Rios' career is definitely moving in the right direction.