At 7:28 A.M. ET on Saturday, Punxsutawney Phil — the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators — emerged from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, PA. and proclaimed, in his native Groundhogese, that there would be an early winner of the 2013 Fight of the Year — the upcoming rematch between undefeated former world champion Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios and top-rated contender “Mile High” Mike Alvarado. Rios and Alvarado will battle each other again, with the WBO interim junior welterweight title at stake, Saturday, March 30, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:15 p.m. ET/PT.
“Will Alvarado get sent up the Rios without a paddle? Will Rios become a Rocky Mountain Highlight for Alvarado? Who knows? But I do predict, without a shadow of a doubt, that Rios-Alvarado II will be the early winner for being the 2013 Fight of the Year,” said the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound quadruped as he shadowboxed (wearing a Tecate headband and a Top Rank warmup) during his annual news conference. “Temperatures are already rising. Forget an early spring, there is a heat wave heading boxing’s way!”
When pressed for a definitive answer on whether he could predict the winner of Rios-Alvarado II, Phil astounded the media by answering in English.
Quoth the groundhog, “Nevermore.”
In their first fight, last October 13, a battle of undefeated gladiators, Rios (33-0-1, 22 KOs), of Oxnard, Calif., and Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs), of Denver, Colo., fought toe-to-toe and non-stop for seven thrilling rounds that saw dramatic momentum shifts throughout the action-packed bout. Two of the judges had the fight scored even before referee Pat Russell stopped the fight at 1:57 of the seventh round, awarding the TKO victory to Rios. Media and fans alike compared Rios-Alvarado to the great matches of the past 50 years, including Ali-Frazier III, Corrales -Castillo I and Hagler-Hearns, based on action and entertainment value.
Promoted by Top Rank®, in association with Tecate, remaining tickets to Rios-Alvarado II are priced at $250, $150, $100, and $50, not including applicable service charges. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person and will be available for purchase at all Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Mandalay Bay at (877) 632-7400 or Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available for purchase at www.MandalayBay.com or www.Ticketmaster.com.
