Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 23 KOs) destroyed Mike Alvarado (34-4, 23 KOs), forcing him to quit on his stool after a three one-sided rounds?
In Saturday?s rubber match at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 23 KOs), from Oxnard, California, destroyed Mike Alvarado (34-4, 23 KOs), from Thornton, Colorado, forcing him to quit on his stool after a three one-sided rounds.
Having split their first two fights, the rubber match was inevitable. What wasn?t inevitable was the beating Rios put on Alvarado, who was distracted, undertrained, and may in fact be a shot fighter.
Fighting out of the blue corner in red, green, and white trunks, Rios started strong and ended stronger. He was focused. He was unrelenting. He had the fight won before the opening bell even sounded.
Alvarado, fighting out of the red corner in black timed with gold, was unable to stop his opponent?s controlled aggression. He ate punches and threw next to nothing in return.
Round one was a huge round for Rios. Alvarado tried to keep his distance but to no avail. Rios jabbed his way in and when he got close he let his hands go. Throwing combinations, he landed lefts and rights to the head and body. He also delivered a picture-perfect uppercut, many more of which were to follow, as the round drew to a close.
Even though Alvarado didn?t go down, it could have been scored 10-8. Rios was that dominant. He also drew first blood from Alvarado?s nose.
Between rounds Alvarado?s corner told him, ?You?ve got to get more punches going. We?ve got to get some respect back.?
In Rios? corner it was a different story. Robert Garcia told him, ?Play with him. He?s yours, son. Have fun.?
Alvarado landed 6 of 23 punches in round one. Rios connected with 21 of 80 punches thrown.
Rios landed an uppercut to start the second. Then he began pouring it on. Landing upstairs and down with almost everything he threw, a 1-2 caught and wobbled Alvarado. Not stopping to admire his handiwork, Rios pressed forward. Alvarado landed a low blow which brought the action to a halt. Referee Jay Nady gave him a stern warning and the action continued. Alvarado landed a 1-2 of his own which only succeeded in spurring Rios on. He began unloading on his stationary target. Alvarez caught Rios with a left hook, his best punch of the fight. Rios returned the favor with a hook followed by a right uppercut at the bell. Alvarado was busting up bad.
Between rounds his corner was panicking. ?Get your hands up. Start jabbing. Throw some fucking punches. Throw some goddamned punches.?
According to CompuBox, Alvarado landed 10 of 34 punches. Rios landed 39 of 95, 34 of which were power punches.
Round three was all Brandon Rios. He was brutalizing Alvarado. Hooks, uppercuts, you name it, Rios landed everything but the kitchen sink. He put Alvarado down at 1:16. Up at the count of nine, Alvarado resumed absorbing punishment. Rios was relentless. Shots to the head, body, and liver sapped what little strength Alvarado had left, which wasn?t much to start with and was now nonexistent.
At the end of the round a conference ensued in the red corner. Jay Nady asked Alvarado if he wanted to continue. His answer was muffled. The ref asked, ?Does that mean you don?t want to continue?? The ringside physician examined Alvarado and on his advice, Nady stopped it.
Total punchstat numbers indicate that Alvarado landed 20 of 87 punches (23%), while Rios landed 120 of 290 (41%).
After the fight, Rios said, ?I had to come up prepared, so I had a lot of gas in my tank and I didn?t want it to end like this. I never thought it was going to be easy. I know Alvarado?s a warrior and I knew he could bounce back. He?s got power in both hands, so I just had to take my time, be patient, listen to my corner, and I came out victorious. I followed the game plan, I was disciplined, and you can see what I can do when I?m at my best.?
After the fight, Rios said, ?I had to come up prepared, so I had a lot of gas in my tank and I didn?t want it to end like this. I never thought it was going to be easy. I know Alvarado?s a warrior and I knew he could bounce back. He?s got power in both hands, so I just had to take my time, be patient, listen to my corner, and I came out victorious. I followed the game plan, I was disciplined, and you can see what I can do when I?m at my best.?
With his hometown fans booing in the background, Alvarado said, ?I couldn?t see. My eye wasn?t there. So I decided to make the call. I was looking at my physical condition. I could have shown heart, but who knows what happens after that? I?m not done yet, at all. I?m far from being at my best. I will be back. I guarantee everyone in this place, I will be back. So it don?t matter. I will be back. I wasn?t training like I should have been. Well, that?s what I get. I gotta go back to the drawing board and get back on it. I?m not done yet. I?m far from done. I didn?t give it all I got. So, this is what I get. It is what it is. Whatever.?
Maybe Alvarado will be back, but it may not be on HBO.
