Rios vs Alvarado II

With Top Rank refusing to do business with GBP and Juan Manual Marquez ruining Rios' planned fight with Pacquiao, Rios will square off with Alvarado again on March 30 in Las Vegas.

This time it's a 12 round contest for the vacant WBO 'interim' light welterweight title. This fight could still be contested for the full WBO title, if Marquez vacates.

If Rios wins, it could lead to a unification fight with the artful dodger Danny Garcia.

Alvarado and his team maintain the referee stopped the fight to early in their first bout, lets see what he does this time around.

Rios has called it 'World War 2' and it should be another slugfest.

I certainly can't wait!

Never got to see the 1st so i am very excited about the prospect of this rematch.

Rios vs Garcia would be a good war as well for as long as it lasted. (Rios stops him all day).

Rios vs a boxer is where it goes wrong such as JMM/Bradley/Abril. He just can not cope.

Thrilled about this fight from a spectacle as stylistically they are always going to create fireworks muh like Gatti-Ward fights guaranteed excitement

Hard to see it ending any differently as Alvarado, despite throwing and landing bombs from the off and taking his fair share as well, couldn't really discourage Rios or hurt whereas Rios looked the much bigger puncher in the first fight and hurt Alvarado alot

Rios is pretty limited as Abril showed but he does have one hell of an inside game. Uppercuts, hooks, body work, head movement, power etc, he is frightening when he does work on the inside. Alvarado is a better boxer and likes to keep them on the end of big powerful shots (mainly the right).

I don't think that it was stopped early as Rios was hitting Alvarado cleanly and hurting him with every shot. I did however have Alvarado up going into the 6th and untill the last 30 where Rios rocked Mike I thought that Rios was struggling with the pace, his defences where scattered and mike looked comfortable

Mike will want to box even more this time as Rios is the harder puncher and the smaller man and get to the body more, Rios will soon (not too soon given how fast they started last time) get to him and he has a much better inside game and can really pour it on and should force the stoppage

Would prefer Rios vs Matthysse or Garcia (or the winner of Rios/Lucas fights Judah/Garcia winner) but promotional split will prevent it

I hope that Rios wins so they can't make a 3rd fight so Arum may have to be forced to work with GoldenBoy as GoldenBoy promote most of the names between lightweight and welterweight

The first fight was brilliant, the second will be just as good, can't wait!!!

I might be in the minority with this, but I think it was stopped early. Given how competitive it was up to that point and how close the fight was, and that Alvarado was still moving and aware enough to put his guard up he should have been given a chance. Really though it was Alvarado's fault for not simply taking a knee.

he didnt put his guard up though, he held his hands out infront of him and got his head snapped back because if it. It's not just the 6th, Rios had hurt him in the 5th and Rios landed some thudding shots and Alvarado couldn't recover

It may have continued but could have put Alvarado at a real risk. The ref said he wasn't protecting himself which I thought was the case and although he recovered well once it was stopped that wasn't the case originally

I think that Alvarado can beat Rios, if he has a better gameplay than the first fight.

As WHU mentioned, Alvarado is a better boxer whilst Rios is more of a brawler.

If Alvarado can use his jab and keep Rios out of range, he can frustrate Rios.

Alvarado can't afford to stand toe to toe with Rios, as Rios will beat the hell out if him again.

Alvarado has to make his size advantage count.

Whilst I believe Alvarado CAN beat Rios, I don't think he will.

It'll take Alvarado to fight a very disciplined fight which I don't believe he can do

He tried his best to box as much as possible in the first fight but Rios got to him quickly. Remember that this guy was a late starter, started boxing around 20 I think so he can box pretty well all things considering and also given Rios is the one with the strong amateur background (state champion I think)

Alvarado won't hold, that's not what he's about (and probably hasn't learnt how to hold properly) so unless he can really put some power behind his jab (which was sharp in the first fight but without too much behind it) or discourage Rios with big shots it will end up on the inside where Rios will break him down and beat him up

If someone as slick Acosta doesn't have the footwork or skill to stay away from Rios than I doubt Alvarado can

i think rios will look to end this earlier and it wont make the 5th, it was a epic fight but by the time of the stoppage i think alvardo was starting to get disheartened, and the power of rios was telling

If Alvarado's defence and jab is improved and just a little bit more movement I think he could eek it out, otherwise Rios will be able to get to him again and stop him I imagine. Awesome fight, the Top Rank/GBP saga is so frsutrating, like WHU I'm hoping that Arum will be backed into a corner by Rios (And Rios will stomp him) and that he will have to put him in with the lieks of a Matthysse or Garcia due to TR not holding many fighters around the weight.

It just shows how weak TopRanks stable is when he matches Bradley against Prodovkin who is a B level lightwelter

The problem with Alvarado jabbing better is that he doesn't have the stamina to do that with constant movement at least enough to stay away and threw over 100 punches a round, half of the jabs, an still couldn't do enough to keep Rios away

Who the hell is Provodnikov?

Exactly, he's a Russian lightwelter who has lost to Herrera (who lost to Alvarado convincingly) who is a B level fighter

Admittedly i'm not that clued up on todays fighters below world level but i'd at least expect a world champion of Bradleys calibre to be fighting someone i've heard of. Top rank are slowly dying.

Personally I'd like Rios to end his association with Top Rank and sign with Golden Boy.

It would certainly enhance his title hopes.