Boxing news 2016: Brandon Rios follows Timothy Bradley's lead

Brandon Rios and Manny PacquiaoReuters

The good news is that Brandon Rios' spirits are back up, but that doesn't mean that he will not be making changes on his end.

Rios was knocked out last in the ninth round last November 2015 by Timothy Bradley Jr., a result which went as far as seeing the American boxer contemplate on retirement.

The claim was seen more as a disappointment on the part of Rios who was seen badly out of shape by most rather than recognize the fact that Bradley was being handled by a new trainer in Teddy Atlas.

And on that note, it seems Rios is following the lead by Bradley with word that he has parted ways with long-time trainer Robert Garcia.

The announcement came from no less than Garcia himself, who is considered one of boxing's top trainers.

According to his post, the two discussed things and came to an agreement on the split. Despite parting ways, such seems to have not hindered their personal relationship moving forward.

Right now, Rios has yet to reveal when he plans to return to the ring and who will be his new trainer.

Per BoxingScene.com, however, Rios will reportedly be guided by his dad, Manuel Rios, for the meantime. The elder Rios was responsible behind his son's success when Brandon was still an amateur.

The end of their partnership could turn out good (or bad) for Rios who is 2–3 from his last five fights dating back to 2013. His wins came at the expense of Mike Alvarado and Diego Chaves. Aside from Bradley, he also lost to Manny Pacquiao and Alvarado when both had a rematch.

At 29 years of age, Rios is still young and can certainly rise among the ranks of big name boxers today. A change in trainer could work, but that may depend on how Rios addresses his flaws and fight plan whenever that may happen.