Alvarado Upsets Rios With Unanimous Decision Win In Las Vegas

Thanks to its violently harmonized predecessor this past October in Carson, California, the rematch between Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and “Mile High” Mike Alvarado arrived in the Nevada desert with much anticipation and extremely high hopes of being another “Fight Of The Year” candidate. The first bout between the two warriors ended in the 7th round by TKO when the unbeaten Brandon Rios’ onslaught was too much for then undefeated, Mike Alvarado. Well, not only did the rematch live up to the hype but it surpassed the original since this time it was 12 championship rounds of pure action. The pairing again defined “blood and guts warriors” by taking the popular phrase to new heights as they traded hard shots on the inside and came forward willing to exchange powerful combinations to the delight of the fans attending live at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. However, even though the same fighters stepped into the ring and gave it their all, a new version of Alvarado appeared in the ring.

From the start, the WBO Interim Super Lightweight title match seemed to take the same shape of the first encounter since Rios immediately closed the distance, taking Alvarado to those dark waters of the sport where many are tested but only few succeed. That notion was further evident In the 2nd round when Rios poured on the pressure and buckled Alvarado with a straight left hand. Alvarado recouped and returned the favor nonetheless in the 3rd round by catching Rios coming in with a clean shot that had the Oxnard, California native on unsteady legs. Rios survived as he normally does but opted to trade instead of clinch putting himself in some serious danger of getting stunned again. Luckily it didn’t happen and the pace of the fight slightly changed as Alvarado boxed and moved amidst the high octane action. This trickled over into the frantic pace slightly slowing down, yet it was clear that Alvarado had the right mind set in his quest for an upset. The bout came to a screeching halt when a Rios body shot strayed low and hit Alvarado below the belt but the fighter recovered and was able to continue.

Heading into the second half of the fight Rios’ undoing truly unraveled because he spent allot of energy following his foe around rather than cut off the ring.  Alvarado had excellent conditioning as he perfectly crafted a balance mix of boxing, brawling and clinching when needed. If Rios got too close, he tied him up and when Rios thought he would do it again, Alvarado feinted and moved or landed a snapping jab, vicious uppercut or solid hook that let the fans and judges know, who was clearly pulling ahead on the score cards. In the 8th round, Alvarado landed one of the cleanest right hands that you could ask for and Rios took it, and yet again opted to come forward without an answer. The 5 to 1 favorite’s shots didn’t have the same pop on them as the rounds progresses as well. Alvarado easily boxed his way the rest of the match while Rios searched for that game changer that never came. When the judges’ scores were read it was close but it was clear, Mike Alvarado got revenge and redemption by avoiding a repeat of his last outing with two scores of (115-113) and (114-113). With the win, Alvarado improves his record to (34-1) as he picks up the WBO 140 pound Interim belt as he hands Brandon Rios his first pro loss, “Bam Bam” drops to (31-1-1).

Words can’t always adequately described what happens in that unforgiving ring weekend after weekend. Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios carelessly put their lives on the line for the pride and honor that comes with being a true fighter. There was a loser tonight but the winners are the fans, a trilogy is almost inevitable. What a way to follow Good Friday with a great saturday thanks to two junior welterweights that left us with something very memorable for years to come when they renewed their now epic rivalry inside the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Crawford Remains Unbeaten With Points Win Over Prescott

In the co-main event of the night Breidis Prescott (26-4 w/20 KOs) took on undefeated, Terence Crawford (19-0 w/15 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight match. The bout started off slow seeing as for the first few rounds both men approached matters with the mind set of a feeling out process. But, by the 3rd round and early 4th, Crawford took complete charge as he found his rhythm. Not only did the Nebraska native control the distance off of his jab but he alertly circled away from Prescott’s power right every round. Surprisingly, Prescott respected his foe’s power enough not to over commit and come forward recklessly. This would prove to be his undoing from the 5th round forward he became flat and followed Crawford for the duration of the bout.

Crawford stuck to the simple game plan of popping his jab, circling out, occasionally throwing some combinations and landing his over hand right or left hook on the inside, clean on the face of his foe. By the 8th round, Prescott’s right eye was swollen and Crawford barely had a scratch on him by the time the final bell sounded. Once the 10-round affair came to a close, the judges agreed with Crawford’s masterful performance with scores of (99-91), (97-93) and (100-90). The quality showing by Crawford has to be viewed with extra appreciation seeing as how the normally 135-pound star took this fight on short notice, therefore fans have to wonder how much better he could have possibly done with a full training camp?