While most of
the focus will be on another Golden Boy Promotions card taking place up north
in San Jose, the latest edition of Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” is being staged at
the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, California, where featherweight hopeful Ronny
Rios faces the faded David Rodela in a 10-rounder. Rios is at that point in his
career where he will soon be stepped up but for now, he stays busy- and
patient- throughout this process.
“It's very easy
to be patient because once you're in the ring, you learn every aspect of being
patient,” Rios explained. “So we're just taking it one fight at a time; David
Rodela's next and that's all I'm focusing in on. I'm not looking at a title or
anybody else but David Rodela. So no, I'm not impatient.”
In 2011, Rios
had three bouts after a hepatitis scare that nearly put his career on ice. He
took on the likes of George Kevlishvili, Noe Lopez and Roger Gonzalez. In
talking about his development the past year, he says, “I think I'm getting a
little bit stronger. My maturity is setting in already and not only that, I've
always sparred against the best but as I get older and I'm going more to the
later rounds, I'm setting down a little more now.”
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.
