Brandon Rios won the rubber match against Mike Alvarado in dominant fashion with a stoppage after three rounds in Broomfield, CO Saturday night. Rios (33-2-1, 24 KO’s) was all over Alvarado (34-4, 23 KO’s) throughout the brief fight, dropping the hometown fighter in the third before the corner of Alvarado stopped it prior to the bell for the fourth round.
Rios was deadly accurate with both hands and did major damage with uppercuts. No matter what the California fighter threw, it seemed to land flush on Alvarado, who disappointed his home fans by retiring for the second time against this opponent.
Their first fight was a thriller that saw Rios win by stoppage in the 7th round. The sequel saw Alvarado earn a close unanimous decision.
This fight was a rout.
Rios went down in the second from a low blow but otherwise was in no danger whatsoever.
Ironically, Alvarado landed his best punches at the end of the third round when the two engaged in an exchange reminiscent of their first two fights. But when “Mile High Mike” got back to his corner, it was a bad scene. The doctor held up two fingers and asked the obligatory question. Alvarado answered “four.”
Yeah, good stoppage. If Alvarado really saw four fingers or if he was looking for a way out, either way, there was no reason for this fight to continue. Rios was teeing off. It is rare to see a fight involving world-class fighters where one of them is able to land so many blows so cleanly. Mike Alvarado had nothing tonight. No offense, no defense, nothing.
Since losing back-to-back fights in 2013, to Alvarado and Manny Pacquaio, Rios has now won two straight, including a DQ9 over Diego Chaves prior to this fight.
