By Chris LaBate
British lightweight Kevin Mitchell (32-1, 24 KOs) watched his former foe John Murray take a beating from Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs) on Saturday night at New York's Madison Square Garden. Murray took a pounding until the fight was stopped in the eleventh round. Mitchell was the orginal opponent who was slated to face Rios on Saturday, but an issue with his visa prevented his participation, and Murray took his place.
After watching the fight play out, Mitchell saw a lot of defects with Rios' style. The top lightweight is pretty confident that he would be able to captizalize on Rios' stylistic issues.
"It's very clear to see I'd have no troubles with Rios," Mitchell told The Guardian. "I've watched quite a bit of Rios. He loves it his own way, loves a bit of a tear-up, he's quite ferocious, but he leaves himself very open at times. He over-exaggerates his shots. I would make him miss then pay. It was meant to be my fight."
Rios, who struggled to make weight for Saturday's fight, is heading to the junior welterweight division. A move that likely prevents a possible clash with Mitchell in the near future.
