SubscribeMike Alvarado vs. Brandon Rios in a rematch? Could be coming after Marquez stunned Pacquiao
Mike Alvarado, right, and Brandon Rios in their October fight at Carson, Calif. (Reuters)
The fallout from Juan Manuel Marquez’s stunning knockout of Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on Saturday reached all the way to Denver on Monday.
Mike Alvarado, a junior welterweight from Denver, now may fight Brandon Rios in a rematch in March, promoter Bob Arum told the Los Angeles Times.
Rios’ sixth-round TKO of Alvarado in a thrilling October bout near Los Angeles was immediately considered a leading fight of the year contender by reporters and fans.
Rios was slotted to go against Pacquiao in his next bout, Arum said in September — assuming Pacquiao would beat Marquez last weekend. But Marquez’s upset of Pacquiao — now considered the best fight of the year — threw out those plans.
Instead, it could be Alvarado-Rios in a rematch and Pacquiao-Marquez for a fifth time sometime later in the year.
Before Saturday, Top Rank offered Timothy Bradley a matchup with Alvarado, Bradley said. But Bradley turned it down, saying that after his win over Pacquiao earlier this year, he deserved a fight with Rios.
Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke
