WBN contacted the WBO for their reaction to reports that Rios failed a post-fight test in his WBO sanctioned clash with Manny Pacquiao last month – after initially speaking to Rios himself on Friday night.
It has now been confirmed that Rios will not feature in contention for honours with the WBO until a final resolution has been made regarding possible punishments for the American, who vehemently denied knowingly taking anything illegal.
“Brandon Rios unfortunately failed one of his tests and this is obviously disappointing news that caught all of us by surprise,” a WBO spokesman told World Boxing News before then confirming: “In light of this, we cannot rank Rios in our WBO ratings until he serves out his suspension.”
Former lightweight world champion Rios, 27, has been suspended for five months for what he says was a genuine mistake on his part, but hopes to make a swift return to the ring upon completion of the ban.
In contrast, Pacquiao’s lop-sided victory on the night, which was a second defeat in a row for Rios, has put the Congressman in line for another world title shot, with fights against Timothy Bradley and Floyd Mayweather just a couple of the possibilities in the pipeline.
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