Mike Alvarado vs. Brandon Rios 3: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Two boxers stepped into the ring on Saturday night for the rubber match in a beloved trilogy of bouts, but only one came to fight. 

Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios (33-2-1, 24 KO) dominated Mike Alvarado (34-4, 23 KO) for three brutal rounds in a welterweight contest at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on Saturday night, forcing the referee to call the fight before the fourth, with Alvarado apparently suffering vision problems.

The bout was a far cry from their first epic clash in 2012, a win for Rios and a runner-up for fight of the year. Alvarado won the second matchup between the two via unanimous decision in March 2013, a solid contest that lacked the spark of the first.

It's the third loss in a row for Alvarado, two of which have come by retirement. Alvarado retired against Ruslan Provodnikov after 10 rounds of action in October 2013.

Alvarado, fighting in front of a raucous, home-state crowd, admitted after the bout he wasn't at his best, per HBO Boxing:

Rios started the fight like he was shot out of a cannon. He was quick and decisive in his action and had no trouble with Alvarado's early switch to a southpaw stance.

Alvarado struggled to protect his chin early on, and Rios landed a barrage of straight rights, jabs and uppercuts, drawing blood in the first round.

The second round was no better for Alvarado. Rather than force Rios to chase him, Alvarado merely stood his ground, absorbing blow after blow with little in the way of a counteroffensive. HBO Boxing provided a look at the carnage:

Super middleweight champion Andre Ward, serving as a ringside commentator, summed up the early damage, via HBO Boxing: 

With just over a minute to go in the second round, Alvarado stemmed the rising tide of punches with a low blow that forced Rios to his knees, perhaps saving himself from an even earlier demise. 

The third round was the exact same song and dance. Rios was imperious, with his straight right hand doing much of the damage. Alvarado, his face cratered in and mashed up like a moon of Jupiter, had absolutely no chance in this one. 

Rios scored a crushing knockdown on a thunderous three-punch combo. He rocked Alvarado with a left hook, snaked through his opponent's gloves with a right uppercut and quickly followed up with another left hook to the head that sent the 34-year-old fighter crumpling to the mat.

HBO Boxing provided a look at what would prove to be the decisive blow:

Alvarado managed to sneak in a few blows at the end of the third round, and for the briefest of moments it appeared the fans in Colorado and watching at home would get the vicious, back-and-forth fight they so fervently desired.

Alas, there would be no fourth round. Alvarado, dazed, blinking and slumped forward on his stool, clearly wasn't able to continue and the referee stopped the fight. Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole agreed with the decision:

It was a disappointing conclusion to a hotly anticipated match. Rios, who had lost two of his last three fights coming into the match—with the win being an ugly triumph via disqualification over Diego Gabriel Chaves—has a chance to get his career back on track with this victory. He looked excellent on Saturday night, but that might have more to do with Alvarado's lack of preparation. 

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix noted prior to the fight the winner could be in a good spot for a title fight:

Mannix also rattled off some potential future opponents for Rios:

Alvarado's career is in a full-blown tailspin after this result. He will have to drastically change his ways if he wants to resuscitate a career on life support. There will be none of the lingering admiration Micky Ward received despite losing two bouts in his epic trilogy with Arturo Gatti. The comparisons are no longer valid.

This fight could prove to be a point of divergence in the two fighters' careers. The third chapter of this rivalry was a disappointing, truncated story, and only Rios appears to have a real shot at a happy ending after this one.