By Ian S Palmer
Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado will be slugging it out for the second time in the space of five months when they meet in a junior welterweight bout at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on Saturday March 30. Their last meeting on October 13, 2012 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California was widely regarded as the fight of the year by boxing fans and insiders. The rematch could bring more of the same. The first meeting was an all-out brawl which saw both men inflict serious damage on each other. However, Rios did the most damage and stopped the game Alvarado in the seventh round, handing him his first defeat as a pro.
Rios is a former WBA lightweight titleholder who has had problem making weight in the past. He was stripped of the lightweight title before his bout against Richard Abril last April for coming in two pounds over the weight limit. He struggled against Abril and many fans though he was the recipient of a highly-dubious 12-round decision in that contest.
Rios has since moved up to the 140 lb. division and will be putting his 31-0-1, 23 KOs record on the line against Alvarado, who is 33-1 and has 23 KOs to his name. Alvarado may have had a slight advantage in the first due to the fact he’s a natural junior welterweight, but it didn’t help him out. The Lubbock-Texas born Rios now calls Oxnard, California his hometown and the 26-year-old turned pro there in 2004 when he was just 18. He’s got a 68-inch reach and stands 5-foot-8. He learned the ropes with an extensive amateur career.
Alvarado, who was born in Denver, Colorado, has a 70-inch reach and stands 5-foot-9, giving him a slight advantage in both of those areas. If you’re looking for a disadvantage for Alvarado, it could be considered his age since he’s six years older than Rios at 32. He’s been a pro since 2004, but his first meeting against Rios was the first time meeting an elite fighter. The same could probably be said about Rios even though he’s a former world champ. He’s fought some good boxers, but not any great ones.
Rios took the WBA lightweight crown in 2011 with a 10th-round stoppage over Miguel Acosta of Venezuela. He knocked out Urbano Antillon during the third round of his first title defence five months later and then scored an 11th-round KO over John Murray of England last December. Alvarado’s toughest opponent has been Carlos Molina, who he beat in 2007 by a majority decision. He has also stopped Emmanuel Clottey in 2009 and Breidis Prescott two years later. He ended both of these fights in the 10th round. Prescott is well known for knocking out former world champion Amir Khan in about 90 seconds a few years ago.
Both Rios and Alvarado have good power, but Rios also possesses better boxing skills and has faster hands. He’s also quite aggressive and would rather brawl than box. He throws a lot of punches, likes to go to the body, and is an exciting fighter, making him a favourite with boxing fans. His defence isn’t the greatest and Alvarado will be attempting to counter him. Alvarado has a good left hook and also likes to launch a body attack. He’s not as fast as Rios though and is a bit of a slow starter.
