By Nick Bellafatto
Born in Lubbock, Texas, Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (31-0-1, 23 KO’s) is arguably the best brawler in the game, a fact which hopefully he will not have to pay for later in life if not sooner. And visibly one dimensional as concerns his style, that solitary dimension was enough to propel the former lightweight champion past a bigger “Mile High” Mike Alvarado (33-1, 23 KO’s) in an all out battle this past October, inflicting the Denver, Colorado native’s first defeat by way of seventh round TKO.
But not far behind in the scrapper department, Alvarado too can brawl with the hard hitters, a fact which helped to create the dramatic back and forth action that had fight fans riveted the first time around, and no doubt has them salivating once again as the rematch taking place this Saturday night at the Mandaly Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada rapidly approaches.
“I’m ready and hyped up for this fight,” commented Alvarado. “I’ve had a great training camp, the fight is right around the corner, and I am ready to put on a good show and go to war again with Brandon.”
Rios would also chime in, “everyone around the world get to Mandalay Bay. It’s going to be a better show than the first one. Mike Alvarado is trying to get his revenge so he’s training harder. So I’m ready and very excited. It’s going to be one exciting fight again.”
In previewing Rios-Alvardo II I must say the very reason I initially picked “Mile High” Mike to edge Brandon is the same rationale I lean towards today, and that is Alvarado has an added dimension that Rios does not, the ability to box at range. The Oxnard fighter at a distance simply had no answer when in against Alvarado, nor when recently contesting Richard Abril who in controlling Rios would find himself on the end of a wrongful decision.
Just the act of Alvarado putting solid combination punches together behind a stiff jab has, and will continue to prove troublesome for the Robert Garcia trained fighter. Of course the huge question here is, will Alvarado utilize that boxing ability on a consistent basis, or will he get drawn into another war?
Standing in front of his adversary while exchanging too extensively for his own good, this amongst other things, Alvarado would pay the price. But despite these past inadequacies, I like Mike’s chances of turning the tide in the rematch.
I feel “Mile High” may have learned a lesson so that he’s smart enough to stick to a solid game plan, a game plan that should no less entail that he work off of the jab, while adhering or not to coach Shann Vilhauer’s all important advice to step around after getting his shots off is something that could make or break the Denver fighter. Especially true in the face of an ever pressing “Bam Bam” Rios.
No doubt underrated as a boxer, this in tandem with Mike Alvarado’s power make him a force to be reckoned with, the caveat of course being that “Mile High” has virtually no room for error. That’s because in possessing a solid set of whiskers Brandon Rios is afforded the luxury of applying endless pressure, a circumstance which prompts many an opponent such as Alvarado to throw lot’s of punches. Along with “Bam Bam’s” inside attack these both carry the potential to fatigue an adversary, in turn providing Rios the upperhand, as well as some much needed energy.
And although lessor overall skilled in comparison to Alvarado who can control distance, and or mix his attack up or down, in or out, Brandon doesn’t see himself at the end of “Mile High’s” punches for too long. “I know he wants to avenge his loss so I think it’s going to be the same fight again, a toe-to-toe battle. He’s gonna try to keep me on the outside at the end of his reach, but at the end of the day it’s not going to work too long so he’s gonna come back out and fight.”
Whether this comes to pass in such a fashion remains to be seen, but what is for certain though is that unless Alvarado catches Rios early with something to stop the undefeated fighter, he will surely have to pace himself. This will be Mike’s first ever scheduled twelve-round fight so he must avoid becoming fatigued and therefore vulnerable to the refuse to lose attitude of Rios.
With that said, at the end of the day it will be fight fans who are the true winners, as with the WBO interim junior welterweight title on the line Rios-Alvarado II is sure to be another rockem sockem affair. Add to this a few twists and turns that could possibly make for a different outcome, and this further thickens the plot to an already much anticipated event.
“I can’t wait for the chance to redeem myself,” stated Alvarado. “It’s a fight that everyone wants to see. I was in there with him before and I know what to expect. I have a game plan and I’ll come back with something a little different this time.”
And in alluding to stopping his adversary even earlier in the rematch, Rios had this to say. “I want to leave no doubts in his camp in saying it [Rios-Alvarado I] got stopped too soon. I’m 100% ready for the next level. I’m ready to fight the best out there so I just got to prove a point. I got to show everybody that I’m one feared boxer to mess with.”
All told the winner is likely face a variety of options on that next level, to include a potential date with Juan Manuel Marquez, Tim Bradley, or even Manny Pacquiao who vows to return in September. So tune in to HBO Boxing After Dark this Saturday night beginning at 10:15 pm ET/PT to witness what in fact may be the fight of the year after their first encounter would garner a close second to Pacquiao-Marquez in 2012.
The telecast will open with undefeated IBF #11 ranked Terence Crawford (19-0, 15 KO’s), of Omaha, Nebraska taking on battle-tested veteran and Colombian born Breidis Prescott (26-4, 20 KO’s) in a 10-round lightweight attraction.
