By Jake Donovan

Brandon Rios closed the books on a friendly rivalry with Mike Alvarado, but didn’t take long to renew an old rivalry that bears far more hostile roots.

The former lightweight titlist was swift and merciless in dismantling Alvarado in just three rounds of one-sided action Saturday evening in Broomfield, Colorado. The bout took place on the outskirts of his opponent’s Thornton (Colo.) hometown, but Rios was able to steal a bit of the hometown edge thanks to hordes of fans making the five-hour drive in from Garden City, Kansas, where he was born and raised before relocating to Oxnard, California.

Another fighter carries the exact same career path, Rios’ ex-stablemate Victor Ortiz. The two had the same trainer (Robert Garcia), manager (Cameron Dunkin) and promoter (Top Rank) until 2008, when their growing gym rivalry reached a boiling point, prompting Ortiz to abruptly leave and take his career in a different direction.

The southpaw went on to sign with Golden Boy Promotions in 2008, training with Garcia’s brother Danny and watching his rivalry with Rios and an internal family dispute between the Garcias continue to grow over the years

Rios and Ortiz have managed to stay out of each other’s way during their separate paths to stardom. However, as both went from champs to ex-champs to fighters in desperate need of big wins to keep their careers going, their names are now once again linked together.

It was Rios who raised the possibility of the two finally meeting in the ring, when such a fight wasn’t previously on anyone’s radar. The resurrected former 135 lb. titlist was asked whom he’d next like to face after scoring his second stoppage win over Alvarado in their three-fight set – winning by 7th round TKO in their unforgettable Oct. ’12 war before dropping a 12-round decision in their rematch five months later - and proceeded to rattle off a couple of names.

“I'm going to leave it up to Cameron Dunkin,” Rios confidently stated of his next move during his post-fight interview with HBO’s Jim Lampley. “He's one the best managers in the world. He'll get me the fights I want. The Russian (Provodnikov), Victor Ortiz, I'll get down with him if he wants to get it, bad blood there. Whoever.”

For the moment, Ortiz is taking it upon himself to fill the “whoever” role.

Such a fight might be easier to fantasize about than become a boxing reality. Rios has proudly remained with Top Rank for his entire career, while Ortiz’ current team includes high-powered adviser Al Haymon. Bob Arum – president of Top Rank – and Haymon rarely if ever do business these days, but the right terms could bring this fight to fruition.

Politics aside, such a fight – while boasting a built-in storyline – would likely require another big win or two, particularly on the Ortiz side.

Rios (33-2-1, 24KOs) has now won two straight, although his previous victory came in a 9th round disqualification of Diego Chaves in their ugly brawl last August. The feat disrupted a two-fight losing streak, with his rematch loss to Alvarado followed by a 12-round near-shutout at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in Nov. ’13, followed by a suspension due to a banned substance discovered in his system during post-fight drug testing.

While Rios is back in the mix, Ortiz (30-5-2, 23KOs) still has a long way to go before restoring faith among the boxing public. The charismatic southpaw reached the pinnacle of his career with a 12-round decision over Andre Berto in their April ’11 war, earning a welterweight belt in the process.

It seemed for a while like the night would serve as his last hurrah. Three straight stoppage losses followed, beginning with his well-publicized 4th round knockouts at the hands of Floyd Mayweather in Sept. ’11. Far more troubling than losing to the very best fighter in the world were subsequent defeats to Josesito Lopez in June ‘12 – quitting on his stool after nine rounds due to a severely broken jaw – and a shocking two-round knockout at the hands of fellow former welterweight titlist Luis Collazo last January

Ortiz finally returned to the win column, though dumbing down his competition considerably in scoring a 3rd round stoppage over hapless Manuel Perez last December.

For now, the two fighters are already doing their best to drum up interest.

“Brandon Rios has always been my punching bags since we were kids,” Ortiz quipped Sunday afternoon on his verified Twitter account. “Where’s the contracts?”

True to character, the always aloof Ortiz managed to tag the wrong “Brandon Rios” account in his tweet. Still, word got to the brash Rios in a hurry. Not one to ever miss an opportunity to talk trash, he immediately responded.

“[T]he last time I remember I use(d) to make (you) cry in sparring,” Rios reminded his old gym mate.

Rather than walking down that road, Ortiz chose to focus on making the fight happen, or at least offering the illusion of wanting the fight.

“Where’s the contracts,” Ortiz once again asked. “No (corras), carbon. [Q]ue estoy aqui (“Don’t run, f****r. I’m right here”).”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox