Mike Alvarado will enter the ring Saturday night for his rematch against Brandon Rios with more cuts on his face than he had when he left the ring following their first brutal brawl 5 1/2 months ago.
Sources involved in the promotion confirmed that Alvarado’s involvement in an altercation away from the boxing ring in early February left him with several significant cuts on his face and neck. The scars remained very visible during an open workout Wednesday and a news conference Thursday in Las Vegas, but Alvarado has downplayed the cuts and doesn’t think they will affect him when he faces Rios in their highly anticipated 10-round rematch (10:15 p.m., HBO).
“It hasn’t hindered me,” Alvarado, 32, said. “It was just a little accident. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and it was a little accident. It happened outside the ring and I’m fine.”
Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs), of Thornton, Colo., would not say how he was cut in three separate spots on the lower portion of the right side of his face and down the right side of his neck. Henry Delgado, Alvarado’s manager, told Boxingscene.com that Alvarado suffered “minor scratches,” but the cuts required stitches and clearly could’ve used more time to heal.
While it is unusual for a boxer to compete in such a high-profile fight with existing cuts that haven’t fully healed, Alvarado and his handlers aren’t overly concerned about those wounds opening up against Rios (31-0-1, 23 KOs), who won their first all-action brawl by seventh-round technical knockout Oct. 13 in Carson, Calif. They would worry more if the cuts were around his eyes, the area where boxers tend to cut and swell during fights.
Still, the cuts kept Alvarado from sparring for two-plus weeks in February and certainly didn’t help his preparation for this “Boxing After Dark” main event at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Alvarado never considered withdrawing from the fight, though, largely because he’ll earn a career-high purse of $650,000.
SNEAK PEEK: “Road to Donaire-Rigondeaux” will premiere on HBO immediately following the live broadcast of the Rios-Alvarado rematch Saturday night.
The 15-minute show will preview the April 13 showdown between Nonito Donaire and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs), of San Leandro, Calif., and Rigondeaux (11-0, eight KOs), who won two Olympic gold medals for Cuba, will fight for Donaire’s WBO and Rigondeaux’s WBA 122-pound titles at Radio City Music Hall.
For tickets ($35-$300), visit radiocity.com or call 866-858-0008.
REVISITING GREATNESS: HBO has announced the network will revive its popular “Legendary Nights” series.
