by Mick Akers
Sequels hardly ever live up to the hype of their original success, but in the case of Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado the second go-round is a sure fire blockbuster.
In their rematch that will go down in Las Vegas, at the Mandalay Bay Saturday night is sure to be a fight full of action just like the first bout between the two warriors.
Rios (31-0, 23 KOs) won by TKO last October after the referee stopped the bout after putting a ferocious fury of punches on Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs), although Alvarado feels the fight was stopped pre-mature.
With Alvarado out for blood, he claims that he isn’t necessarily looking for a slug fest this time around, but anytime anyone steps into the ring with Rios, a toe-to-toe, punch-for-punch fight is sure to ensue.
If there is one fight that a person will watch this year, the Rios-Alvarado bout would be one of a few bouts one should pick.
A fight of the year candidate before one punch has been thrown; a high-action bout with an early stoppage being very likely once again should be a big draw at the live gate and for HBO as well.
With the way Rios goes for broke every second he is in the ring, he could very well see his first loss this time around, as he has as much of a chance to be hit with huge shot as he is to land one. The winner of the bout Saturday night has a few rumored fights that could pan out, but a bout with Timothy Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs), a winner of his own slugfest earlier this month, is a high possibility.
Whoever wins Saturday night will move their career to a new level and facing Bradley at the welterweight division will give whoever wins a chance to earn a belt in a new weight division, making that bout all the more interesting.
