Brandon Rios dominates Mike Alvarado in the third fight between the two boxers

Brandon Rios vs Mike Alvarado 2

The third instalment of what started as a great rivalry, ended in disappointment.

Rios vs Alvarado I & II

The first two fights between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado were high action fights.

The first fight was a classic; both men stood toe-to-toe in the center of the ring and put on the type of performance that creates boxing fans. The fight ended in the 7th round, due to a hard right hand by Rios, making him the winner by technical knock-out (TKO).

The next fight would take place a few months later, but this time it would be for the WBO Light Welterweight Championship.

This fight would be a bit different this time. There was still a lot of action, but Alvarado decided to take a step back, and box.

Rios and Alvarado would pick up exactly where they left off in the last fight, but later in the fight Alvarado would flip the script. Alvarado would rely on his footwork, and elect to fight on the outside. Alvarado would control the fight with his jab, keeping the hard hitting Rios away. The strategy would pay off, as the outcome of the fight would be a unanimous decision victory for Alvarado, making him the new WBO Light Welterweight Champion of the World.

Disappointment for Rios & Alvarado

After the second fight both men would go on to lose, and experience setbacks in their respective careers.

Rios’s next fight would be his biggest yet, as he faced one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport, Manny Pacquiao. The fight though would be uneventful. Manny Pacquiao outclassed Rios in every aspect of the fight, and never let Brandon Rios display the power that had gotten him to that point in his career. Pacquiao would come out of the fight with a win by unanimous decision.

Rios would go on to win his next fight, but was unable to prove anything as he got the victory over Diego Chavez via disqualification.

Alvarado would experience the same type of disappointment in his next two fights.

Mike Alvarado would lose the title in his very first defense, against the hard hitting Ruslan Provodnikov. Provodnikov would dominate Alvarado with hard hitting power punches to the head and body. Provodnikov would completely dominate Alvarado throughout the fight, and in the 11th round Alvarado elected not to come out, making Provodnikov the winner by TKO.

The next fight Alvarado would get much of the same, as he got outboxed by one of the best counter punchers in the sport, Juan Manuel Marquez. Marquez simply made Alvarado look like an amateur stepping into the ring for the first time. Marquez would emerge from the fight the victorious, defeating Alvarado by unanimous decision.

With both men coming off disappointing performances, they both would look at this third chapter in their rivalry as a possible springboard in their careers.

The Final Chapter

The third fight would take place in Alvarado’s back yard, at the 1stBank Center, in Bloomfield, Colorado.

From the very first bell Rios dominated the fight. Rios would ruthlessly attack Alvarado with an onslaught of punches to the head and body. Rios’s uppercut would be a huge factor in the fight as he landed it at will throughout the fight.

Rios would score the first knockdown of the trilogy in the 3rd round, but Alvarado would answer the ten count and finish the round. Alvarado would then go to his corner, where it was then that his trainer would decide to stop the fight, making Rios the winner by TKO.

Rios dominated Alvarado, as he forced Alvarado to back up the entire fight.

Alvarado looked completely out of it from the start, as he never really seemed to be in the fight.

What this win means for Rios, only time will tell, but there is no doubt that the hard-hitting Brandon Rios of old is back.