By Francisco Salazar

Junior welterweight contender Brandon Rios is already hard at work in preparation for his March 30th fight against Mike Alvarado at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Both fighters will vie for the interim WBO light welterweight title. The highly-anticipated rematch will be televised on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark,” along with Khabib Allakhverdiev’s WBA junior welterweight world title defense against hard-hitting Breidis Prescott.

Rios and Alvarado brought fight fans to their feet at the Home Depot Center in Carson on October 13th, with hellacious back and forth exchanges between the two. Rios, who resides in Oxnard, CA, was able to earn the hard-fought victory in the seventh round when he hurt Alvarado along the ropes, eventually prompting referee Pat Russell to stop the bout.

Rios (31-0-1, 23 KOs) has recently been working out on the track at Channel Islands High School, located on the south side of Oxnard.

Although he anticipated another hard fight against Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs), Rios will strive for a similar result in the first fight.

“I’m training really hard,” said Rios between breaths during his workout. “I don’t want it to go to a decision, so I’m going for the 10-count this time.”

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