A spot on a high-profile undercard Saturday netted mixed results for Denver boxer Mike Alvarado, as the junior welterweight remained undefeated by forcing Ghana’s Ray Narh to quit before the fourth round.
Alvarado (30-0, 22 knockouts) dominated Narh through three rounds at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, landing a solid left-hand jab in the second round that wobbled Narh (25-2). He never recovered. Alvarado added a solid left hook later in the second, and a right hand in the third that cut Narh over his left eye.
Referee Robert Byrd asked a seated Narh if he wanted to return. Narh said no.
But the abbreviated fight did Alvarado no favors. For a fighter attempting to move into title contention at 140 pounds, Alvarado hoped a shot on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley bout would propel him toward bigger opponents.
Instead, Alvarado came and went before the crowd filled in for the later fights.
Coming in, Narh, a member of the 2000 Ghana Olympic team, was ranked as high as No. 6 in the WBC junior welterweight division. Yet he never tested Alvarado, and his retirement came just as Alvarado was gaining momentum in the fight.
“They should really take his check from him,” Showtime announcer Antonio Tarver said of Narh’s refusal to return for the fourth round. “That’s nonsense.”
Alvarado, a former two-time Colorado wrestling champion at Thornton’s Skyview High School, has nine knockouts in his past 10 fights. His opponents haven’t lasted past the fourth round in seven of Alvarado’s past nine bouts.
Nick Groke: 303-954-1015 or ngroke@denverpost.com
