Mike Alvarado Avenges Loss to Brandon Rios in Another War
by Gautham Nagesh
That was the only thought I had while watching Denver’s Mike Alvarado reach to the sky in victory after surviving 12 rounds of brutal combat against his nemesis Brandon Rios at Mandalay Bay. Final scores were 115-113 (twice) and 114-113 for Alvarado.
In winning, Alvarado defied 4-1 odds and reversed the outcome of their previous match last October. That fight saw the two engage in all-out war for six rounds, before the referee controversially stepped in during the 7th while Alvarado was on the ropes. Most pundits predicted a similar outcome on Saturday night. Fighters that get knocked out in such a brutal manner rarely do better in the rematch.
Alvarado wisely ignored the pundits and focused on his game plan, which was to move and box enough to keep Rios on his toes. He did just that, while standing and fighting often enough to earn respect. At times, the two returned to battling at close quarters, but more often Alvarado kept things at distance, where he had the advantage. Rios stalked his prey throughout, but Alvarado’s conditioning allowed him to dance circles around the Kansas native for the final five rounds.
“It was that movement, that focus to stay on my movement, the gameplan,” Alvarado told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight. “I capitalized on it and I did what I had to win this fight.”
Rios had his moments, hurting Alvarado badly with a jab in the 2nd round and winning some of the middle rounds with his constant aggression and body attack. But Alvarado brought more to the table than the first fight, while Rios was content to stick to the same strategy. Rios had been certain, like everyone else, that Alvarado wouldn’t be able to avoid engaging in a fire fight. Everyone underestimated the discipline of the former wrestler, who saved his legs for the crucial championship rounds.
Cutman Rudy Hernandez served a double role in Alvarado’s corner, stopping his multiple cuts while advising him to stay sideways and use the southpaw stance to throw off Rios. The defensive tactics weren’t always pretty, but they worked. Alvarado took plenty of damage, but avoided the huge shots that led to his downfall last go-round by moving both his head and his feet. Meanwhile, Alvarado landed his overhand right with regularity. Rios has never moved his head much on the outside, and he seemed at a loss when unable to lock shoulders and bash away.
This was another fantastic fight, an instant classic that will have the crowd clamoring for a rubber match. I hope it happens, but wouldn’t mind seeing the fighters given some time to rest first. Both showed tremendous will inside the ring, absorbing shots that would fell almost any other junior welterweight without ever touching the mat. Such courage takes something out of a fighter that often never returns. A third fight like this would undoubtedly cause permanent damage, and should therefore include a payday commensurate with the sacrifice involved.
Top Rank lightweight prospect Terence Crawford seized the moment in the co-feature, putting on a boxing clinic against veteran Colombian puncher Breidis Prescott. Crawford was a late replacement for Khabib Allakhverdiev, and had only two weeks to move up to junior welterweight for the bout. It proved a wise choice, as Crawford’s handlers clearly knew he was too skilled for the flawed but dangerous Prescott. Crawford never looked in danger, and arguably won every single round en route to the unanimous decision.
Prescott tried to use his height advantage to land straight right hands, but Crawford dips and ducks his torso like a young Pernell Whitaker. The Omaha native has been a regular feature on Top Rank undercards in recent years, so I have seen him fight before, but was never overly impressed. He’s not a huge puncher and his technical style does not excite the crowd. When paired against a real dangerman like Prescott, however, Crawford’s class shines through.
Prescott occasionally landed a good shot, but most of the time he was whiffing badly as Crawford popped him with the jab and ducked away from any response. Crawford opened up a bit at times, to show he was unafraid of trading with the vaunted puncher. His ability to take Prescott’s blows bodes well should Crawford stay at 135 or move to 140. The ease with which Crawford dispatched Prescott indicates the care Top Rank has taken with him has been justified. It would appear Crawford is ready for anyone outside of Adrien Broner in the lightweight division.
HBO also broadcast highlights of U.S. amateur star J.C. Ramirez in his second professional fight on the undercard. Ramirez was too big and strong for Charlie Dubray, stopping him inside the first round. Regardless, it looks like HBO and Top Rank are already hard at work building future Pay Per View stars. Alvarado-Rios 3 would be officially of that stature, if and when it happens.