Moments ago, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, jr. welterweight Mike Alvarado exacted his revenge against the previously undefeated Brandon Rios, scoring a unanimous decision victory in their highly-anticipated rematch. From the opening bell, both fighters immediately resumed the war they started in their first fight. Although Alvarado started off boxing more, it didn't stop Rios from quickly cutting off the ring and working his way inside.
By the second round, Rios already found a home for his powerful shots, staggering Alvarado to the point where he was holding on. Alvarado, however, weathered the storm, finishing the round firing back. In the third round, it was Alvarado who began landing his looping right hand, one of which rocked and stunned Rios. From there, it was a back-and-forth slugfest as both men found success landing big punches round after round.
By the 7th round, the face of Alvarado was badly damaged by the heavier punches of Rios, but it didn't stop him from continuing to fight fire with fire. In the 8th, Alvarado landed a right hand that again staggered Rios, and for the first time, there was a look of concern in the corner of the undefeated fighter. For the next two rounds, Alvarado stuck to his game plan, boxing from the outside, but still mixing it up when necessary. Entering the championship rounds, the fight was close, though it looked like Alvarado had a slight edge. Down the stretch though, Alvarado's movement was ultimately too much for Rios to handle, allowing him to sweep the final rounds.
In the end, the judges scored the bout 115-113, 115-113, 114-113 all for Mike Alvarado.
COMPUBOX
Brando Rios Total Punches: 241/823
Mike Alvarado Total Punches: 261/860
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