This Saturday night from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios (31-0) will once again face “Mile High” Mike Alvarado (33-1) in a 2012 FOY candidate rematch which saw Rios take a 7th round stoppage win over the Colorado native Alvarado.
While the first go around had everything in a classic fight from the back and forth power punches, to each fighter getting rocked to neither fighter giving ground up until the end; the rematch is expected to be much of the same.
However, while up until the stoppage the fight was fairly even bout with 2 of the 3 judges scoring the fight even, the main question is which fighter will be able to change their fight plan in the rematch in order to come out victorious once again?
Rios and the Oxnard crew.
There is no denying that over the past 4-5 years Robert Garcia has become one of the best trainers in the boxing world and Rios is one of his star pupils however having guys such as Marcos Maidana, Mikey Garcia, Kelly Pavlik and Nonito Donaire, a fighters boxing I.Q. is going to be raised and such is the case with Rios. In the post fight interview Rios mentions Alvarado’s style and what punch they worked on in order to get around the Alvarado defense. In the end, Rios took Alvarado out in 7 rounds, this time around Rios and his team believe that they will beat Alvarado in 5. It’s hard not to believe them either as Rios coaching alone is far more ahead of Alvarado’s that it would be unfair to compare. Alvarado is simply the closest fighter that his trainer will ever have and at this stage of the fight game, experience matters and Alvarado and his team lack it. This is not to say Alvarado’s trainers are not good, they just are not Robert Garcia.
Alvarado is pulled in every direction.
After rewatching the first fight the one thing that becomes very apparent is that every single guy in Alvarado’s corner is giving him advice. His trainer, manger and cutman all put their 2 cents in after every round. I personally wondered if Alvarado actually listened to his trainer Shann Vilhauer or his Manager/Trainer Henry Delgado more.
Alvarado is the more pure athlete.
Alvarado has the pedigree of an athlete and one that excels in most sports he tries. Before he was a boxer, Alvarado was a talented wrestler and was it not for factors outside the wrestling room, Alvarado may never have become a boxer… who knows. Doesn’t matter, Alvarado has become a world class boxer and boxing fans are grateful. If Alvarado makes the adjustment to fight from the outside and not get baited into the middle of the ring trading shots with Rios, he can outwork and beat Rios. However, if Alvarado leaves his left hand down as he did most of the first fight, Rios will end the fight once again.
Rios can take a punch.
Plain and simple. Rios can take almost any punch, including the kitchen sink. Rios has a style that while it may not be a good fit for a long Bernard Hopkins type career, his style allows his opponents to believe that they can outbox Rios in the center of the ring. Anthony Peterson tried it, Urbano Antillion tried it and Mike Alvarado tried it. All three were beat.
Rios can give a punch or five.
Not only can Rios take a punch, giving a few back is also a Rios specialty. Rios hits hard, very hard and if the first fight is any indication, Rios won this war.
In conclusion, Rios wins once again, while I would personally like to see Alvarado win. The odds are stacked against him in the rematch. However, it never hurts to put something on the underdog and Myboxingfans has Mike Maestas in Vegas for the fight. And even though I believe Rios will win, my money is still on Alvarado. (I am backing the Colorado fighter)
No matter the outcome if the fight is anything near the first fight, Rios and Alvarado will be remembered for the fights and the heart and resiliency they have both showed and not who actually won.