On January 24th, 2015, boxing fans will be treated to another explosive match-up, as former light welterweight champion Mike "Mile High" Alvarado and Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios are set to square off for the third time to finally settle the score.
The bout, which will take place at the 1stBank Center in Bloomfield, Colorado, aims to answer questions thrown towards both men. With each fighter holding one victory apiece, it was only fitting for Top Rank Promotions to match the two combatants up once again, for another potential Fight of The Year contest.
Rios and Alvarado first met each other inside the ring in October 2012, as an undercard bout for the Nonito Donaire vs. Toshiaki Nishioka title fight. But given the manner of which both men fight, their match-up proved to be a more noteworthy spectacle than that of the headliner.
For the entire fight, both men traded punches, throwing everything but the kitchen sink. As their power shots landed at will, what made things more interesting was that neither man wanted to back down and falter. Rios, however, got the better of the exchanges, and ended up winning the fight via seventh round stoppage.
The second fight in March 2013 proved to be a way different match-up. This time around, Alvarado fought smarter, and chose not to engage from clinch distance, which Rios was highly adept at. While "Mile High" was dropped in the early half, he was able to coast to a unanimous decision victory.
As both men went on with their careers and faced top opponents, the possibility of facing each other for the third time was far from being talked about. It was not until last week when the deal was finally made.
Top Rank Promotions, who handles both fighters, could not have been more thrilled at the making of the fight.
"This is a rematch made in heaven. Their first two fights were barnburners and arguably 'Fights of the Year,'" said Top Rank Promotions president Todd duBoef. "Alvarado and Rios know what is at stake. Fans can expect to see a finale that will rival - if not surpass - the legendary [Erik] Morales-[Marco Antonio] Barrera and [Manny] Pacquiao-[Juan Manuel] Marquez wars."
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