Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios compared scars Tuesday — above their eyes, on their faces. The two boxers, long linked in a ring rivalry, share those scars. They’re responsible for causing most of them.
“I’m gonna get a tattoo over my eye that says ‘Alvarado,’ ” Rios said. Like an autograph of his work.
Denver’s Alvarado and Rios, of Oxnard, Calif., met Tuesday for a news conference at the Pepsi Center to kick off training camps for their Jan. 24th bout, a scheduled 12-round affair at 147 pounds at the FirstBank Center in Broomfield.
Alvarado (34-3, 23 knockouts) will fight Rios (32-2-1, 23 KOs) for a third time in a trilogy that recalls the bloodied series between Arturo Gatti and “Irish” Micky Ward in the early 2000s. Alvarado and Rios split the first two.
“It’s been inevitable since the first two fights,” Alvarado said. “It was destined to happen. Our destiny is now. We had to get it over with. It’s No. 3. I’m just ready for it. It’s gonna be a great, classic fight.”
Alvarado was undefeated and rising quickly in the junior welterweight division when he traveled to Rios’ backyard for an October 2012 fight near Los Angeles. Rios, also undefeated, drew Alvarado into a brutal brawl.
They traded an average of 188 punches per round, according to CompuBox stats — a ridiculous rate overshadowed only by the number of power shots thrown. More than 82 percent of their punches were power shots. And Rios won by a seventh-round knockout. Sports Illustrated named it the fight of the year.
Five months later, Alvarado evened the score. He sharpened his boxing approach and avoided a phone-booth fight. It worked. And Alvarado, who won by unanimous decision, earned the WBO junior welterweight title. The bout again was listed on many fight of the year lists.
“We had to do a third one,” Rios said. “We have to know who’s the best.
“It’s very rare when you see this type of trilogy. … We can be part of history. If I win I can say, ‘I beat you in our trilogy and it was an honor to throw gloves at you.’ “
And there’s more on the line than a rubber match. Alvarado, 34, is coming off two consecutive losses, to Ruslan Provodnikov in Broomfield last year, and a decision to Juan Manuel Marquez in Los Angeles in May.
Rios, 28, followed his loss to Alvarado with another to Manny Pacquiao in Macau, then he won by disqualification against Diego Chaves in August. He said he’ll consider retiring if he loses.
“It will be another memorable fight for the boxing game and Colorado,” Alvarado said. “It’s a fight that I really need to win this time around. I’m coming off a couple of losses. I’ve had some tough fights.”
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or
Round 3
Denver’s Mike Alvarado will fight Brandon Rios of Oxnard, Calif, for a third time. The particulars:
• What: Alvarado (34-3, 23 KOs) vs. Rios (32-2-1, 23 KOs), welterweights, 12 rounds
• When: Saturday, January 24th
• Where: FirstBank Center, Broomfield
• TV: HBO
• Tickets: On sale Friday,
• The series: 1-1. Rios won by 7th-round KO in 2012; Alvarado won by unanimous decision in 2013.
