:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4909831/134725964.jpg)
After his 11th round TKO win over John Murray on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, Brandon Rios is looking to make a big fight next, and he wants either Juan Manuel Marquez or Marcos Maidana. From Keith Idec:
"Hopefully we could get [Marquez] If we fight with him, that’d be great. If not, there’s Maidana or someone like that there. I want a war."
Rios (29-0-1, 22 KO) and Murray slugged it out at MSG and put on a hell of a show. But the fight signaled the end of Rios' run at lightweight, which was inevitable and made official when he failed to make weight on Friday.
Marquez recently said he's not interested in fight Rios or anyone else besides Manny Pacquiao, so you can probably count that one out. Maidana is headed to welterweight, and will face Devon Alexander in early 2012.
The fight that is more likely to happen is Rios against Mike Alvarado, another Top Rank fighter and a guy with whom he could have his desired war. Alvarado and Rios are both all-action, and it's the fight Bob Arum is talking about, and has been since Saturday night after the fights. You can count me in for that fight -- no way it's bad, and could be remarkably violent.