Comments Thread For: Rios-Alvarado Rematch Finalized For March 30 in Las Vegas

[kokingbill]

I would have sooner seen rios fight a non golden boy/ top rank opponent like Josesito Lopez at 140 while waiting for something else better to open up...this is just qay. He's a bigger name than Alvarado...woulda been good money and entertaining until Rios floors him.

[Muscles72]

Good post.

Alvarado had his moments, but after watching the fight a second time I'm not sure what he was doing was sustainable. I like your point about the huge punch output. As Rios applied more and more pressure, Alvarado could only deal with that by trying to punch his way out of trouble. That's not good against a guy like Rios who, despite being one hell of a crude and limited fighter, has proven that he can live through Hell and come back to KO you.

I picture Alvarado trying to box and move more. If he does that, Rios ain't getting knocked out, and I think he'll eventually get to Mike and the same thing will unfold unless he's fortunate to somehow get Rios out of there before he's spent. Mike really has to get the KO to win. Otherwise I think the only other possible outcome is Alvarado himself getting stopped. I don't think Mike's got the boxing ability to box his way to a decision, and if he can't, I think he's vulnerable enough that he's bound to get put on his ass.

Well said I agree only way Alvarado wins is by ko rios is too tough for him.

[MJ223]

Its going to be fun..... Not many other options for Rios

[S. Saddler 1310]

It wasn't that competitive. Let me rephrase; it looked a lot more competitive than it was.

Hear me out.

Only 1 fighter was defending himself. If you watch it back, try and pick up on what Alvarado does defensively. He doesn't do anything. He doesn't slip, he doesn't roll, he doesn't block, he doesn't adjust his guard, his only defense is his offense. When he's not punching Rios, Rios is punching him - and because he isn't avoiding shots, Rios is landing a lot of clean shots.

In round 5, Alvrado threw 147 punches. 147 as counted by compubox. That's how hard he had to work to keep Rios from getting to him. No fighter can sustain that. Alvarado was only in this fight because he was fighting Rios off him, and by the mid point of the 6th he was spent. His work rate dropped, the power had visibly left his punches, his guard was dropping, and Rios began teeing off.

Now, I somewhat agree that the stoppage was premature, but at the same time I saw no route back for Alvarado so the referee saved him from whatever damage he was brave and tough enough to take (and I'd be surprised with any impartial observer disagreeing with that).

I can't see how Alvarado will be any fitter (he looked in great condition for the 1st fight) or his defense be any better (those kind of instincts take years to hone; Rios was a decorated amateur with 300 odd fights) or his footwork be fluid enough to keep away from Rios (who has chased down far more agile opponents). Either he works on his power so that instead of buzzing Rios, he can hurt him, or he gets knocked out again.

There were moments where Alvarado got through, but they were masking the true story of the fight, which was the disparity in defensive capability between the two guys. Rios was (as) comfortable (as can be) whilst Alvarado was throwing combinations at him, whereas Alvarado was soaking up damage with his face and ribs.

thought-provoking post which made me want to reconsider my interpretation of the fight.

but, upon rewatching, i can't say i agree with your conclusions that the fight wasn't closely competitive and that Rios won because he was defensively much better than Alvarado or more defensively active. it's certainly true that the two men employed different defensive styles, but Mike did duck, slip, block (on his right glove) and roll with many of Brandon's shots through the first 6 rounds of the fight, and also took evasive measures to avoid some uppercuts. and as those rounds wore on, he was establishing himself as the more accurate fighter on the bigger punches (sometimes landing them in combination). while i wouldn't disagree that he had tired some by the 6th round, i would add that this was true of both fighters, as both were working incredibly hard and showing signs of fatigue - that said, Mike was still very busy and his punches were still strong enough to be viciously snapping and jolting Rios' head back and forth.

you pointed out that Mike isn't the most fluid mover. naturally, he was always going to have to stand and fight for significant spells in this fight and expend energy that way. that's just something that most guys need to be prepared for in fighting Brandon Rios. Alvarado actually did it well and was 4-2 in front after the first 6 rounds. for me, the difference in the fight came down to punch-resistance (and possibly punch-power) and size of will. Rios ultimately took the big shots better in a battle of tremendous chins, and perhaps had the biggest shot in either man's arsenal (his overhand right). indeed, the first time a man seemed hurt was when Rios walked through and got to Mike with a big overhand right immediately after Alvarado had again failed to back him off with a head-snapping salvo. just an unreal exhibition of will and durability from Rios.

i like that you're drawing attention to Rios' underrated skills up close, though, although i think both men generally deserve a little more credit in that way.

here's something i found intriguing about the fight at the time and that i'm now reminded of after having rewatched. in the later rounds of Alvarado-Prescott, Mike did a great job of changing pace, switching between passivity and aggression, and lulling a tired Prescott, who was only too happy to take a breather, into laziness through a false sense of security. it was in this way, i believe, that Alvarado set Prescott up for the kill. in the Rios-Alvarado fight, it was during a similar lull in the pace through the 7th (both guys having dropped their workrates significantly) that Rios suddenly came on and unleashed the barrage that brought about the end - not that i think Rios strategically contrived to lure Alvarado into inactivity, but that there came a moment in the lull where he instinctively sensed that he could surprise Alvarado and pulled that great effort out of himself.
it was just interesting to me that Mike seemed to fall foul of a similar complacency to that which he had provoked to his advantage against a previous opponent.

[Bigg Rigg]

Will I see this fight? Ofcourse. Will I enjoy it? Ofcourse. Do I really want to see it again? Not really. Especially not right away. But that's Top Rank for you. I knew Rios wasn't fighting anyone but Mike after Pac got Pacquiao'd by the new HGH fueled version of JMM.

[MujoHrnjica]

Much of the same. Provodnikov and Khabib would of been better options for either one of them.

[ddangerous]

Would of liked to see Rios in against a new opponent. First fight was fun, but I'll take Rios again by KO.

[JBLAZE620]

Bam Bam vs Mile High

I sure hope its for a belt....not just another banger for fight of the year I just think it such a good fight they deserve to fight for Marquez vacaited title and for Rios I want to see ehst else he can do at superlight weight cant wait....lets go team Rios 620 baby!

[Ringlife]

Cool with me the first quarter of the year so far sucks. with a lot of these fights be canceled.

[_original_]

Love both fighters and the first fight was pure action, but for some reason I'm not too thrilled about a rematch at this point in time.