Brandon Rios knows matchup with Diego Chaves won't be easy

Brandon Rios (31-2-1, 23 KOs) hasn't stepped back into the squared-circle since a one-sided whitewashing at the hands of Manny Pacquiao back in November 2013. Although he apparently wanted to come back sooner, he's officially on the docket to face hard-hitting tough guy, Diego Chaves (23-1, 19 KOs), who himself gave a tough go to Keith Thurman before ultimately being KO'ed in the 10th round last July.

The fight will be a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on HBO. When asked about his upcoming bout:

"I wished I would've faced an easier opponent like the guy (Danny) Garcia is fighting," quipped Rios to RingTV.com at Tuesday's kick-off press conference in Hollywood, Calif. "I'd like to fight someone ranked number 78 in the world.

"It is what it is. They (Top Rank) felt this was the right for me in my first fight back. I'm not thinking about any other fighter other than Chaves. It's not an easy fight."

I'd be remiss if I didn't say that if anyone deserves a soft-touch after several brutal wars, its Brandon Rios. I'm not in the Bob Arum brain trust but my inclination is to say that Top Rank probably doesn't see Rios as a long-term money-maker the way he absorbs punishment, and is likely trying to cash out on a few more slugfests while he still has something left in the tank. Its a brutal sport and an even more brutal business. Either way, any fight with Brandon Rios is sure to be a good one, and this is no exception.