By Dan Ambrose: The rematch between former WBA World lightweight champion Brandon Rios (31-0-1, 23 KO’s) and the guy he just finished knocking out Mike Alvarado (33-1, 23 KO’s) is heading towards March next year, according to Dan Rafael. Rios knocked Alvarado out in the 7th round last October in an exciting and competitive fight on HBO from Carson, California.
Rios was supposed to move forward with his career and face Manny Pacquiao next, at least that was the plan that Rios’ promoter Bob Arum had hoped would take place. But Juan Manuel Marquez ruined those big plans by knocking Pacquiao out in the 6th round on December 8th of this month, and Arum decided to put Pacquiao and Marquez back in together in a rematch next year after Pacquiao has had a long rest to recover from his brutal knockout loss.
With no real ideas what to do with Rios, Arum decided to put him back in with someone that he knows he can beat in Alvarado rather than matching him against Lucas Matthysse, the WBC interim light welterweight champion or someone else.
Arum thinks the boxing public really craves seeing Alvarado and Rios fight again rather than having them fight different opposition. I don’t agree with that, but if he has no other ideas, then I guess this the only thing he can come up with. I suppose its better seeing Rios beat up on the 32-year-old Alvarado again than seeing Rios destroy someone Ruslan Provodnikov.
There are really not a lot of options for Rios unless Arum was interested in working with Golden Boy Promotions because Rios vs. Matthysse or Rios vs. Danny Garcia are great fights. I’d like to see how Rios would do against either one of those guys if Arum were feeling brave enough to put his unbeaten fighter in with them. Of course, Arum isn’t going to do that because he’s probably hoping in the back of his mind to still put Rios in with Pacquiao if Pacquiao can beat Marquez in a rematch next year. If Rios is matched against Matthysse or Garcia, I see him losing to both guys.
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