Brandon ‘Bam Bam’ Rios is riding high off of his recent win, a TKO3 over ‘Mile High’ Mike Alvarado. The fight was the third in the series and the most one sided, as Rios controlled the fight from the opening bell to finish. With his dominant win, Rios showed that he was not done as a fighter and is still one of the most exiting fighters in the sport.
In part 1 of my “On The Ropes” boxing radio interview with Brandon Rios, I talk with him about his victory over Alvarado and get his views on why this fight was different than the previous two. Rios also talks about his motivation for the fight and what he would like to do next. Additionally, Brandon gave his thoughts on how he thinks he would have done against Pacquiao if he fought the way he did recently. Here is what Brandon Rios had to say.
Jenna J: You recently fought your trilogy fight with Mike Alvarado. You looked excellent and you scored a knockout win, what were your thoughts?
Brandon Rios: I trained hard for that fight. I did my preparations very well, I did everything that I needed to do and I followed instructions this time. I put my pride aside and I actually followed the instructions and did everything right, from diet to training. It was just a great fight.
Jenna J: You looked very focused in the fight, how did you feel in this fight compared to the other fights you’ve had recently?
Brandon Rios: Yes, I was very focused on that fight. The reason I was so focused was because everyone talked about my career being on the line and everything. I had to train to show everybody that I’m not done yet, because everybody thought that I was a shot fighter, that I’d been in too many wars and that I was pretty much done with.
I just had to show everyone that I’m not done, and the fact that I only fought one time last year, it kind of sucked. They put me on the sidelines and there was a lot of stuff behind the scenes that people don’t really realize. I had to come out with a bang and I showed everybody that I’m not done yet. When I really train and I’m focused, you see what you get, you get the best ‘Bam Bam,’ I’m back now and I’m gonna stay like this.
Jenna J: Right from the opening bell you were right on Mike Alvarado, you hurt him early in the fight. What did you see from him and how did it feel in the ring?
Brandon Rios: Going into that fight, I knew either way, just the reaction that I got, I got the vibe from him in the conference until the face off, and it was just a vibe that felt like he wasn’t all there so I had to do what I had to do and take him out of there. He wasn’t all there, that’s what I saw.
Honestly, I saw that he wasn’t mentally there — his mind was somewhere else, and he was not focused and concentrated on the fight. He thought I would do what I’ve always been doing, he didn’t think I was gonna cut the ring off and use my jab more and actually counter shots. He thought I was just gonna come straight forward. That’s why I pursued what I had to do.
Jenna J: When you dropped him in the third round, were you surprised that he got up?
Brandon Rios: I knew he was gonna get up. I wasn’t surprised because of the warrior that he is and the mentality that he has, the toughness. I knew he was gonna get up but I didn’t think he was gonna quit sitting down again. I thought he was gonna come back out the next round and rather get laid out on his shield than quit sitting down.
It did kind of suck because I was ready for whatever he would have brought. I was so ready for that fight and all the preparation that I’ve been doing just to get ready for this fight and then it ends in three rounds. I thought he was gonna give me a little more of a bang than that.
Jenna J: Are you’re a little disappointed that you didn’t get to showcase more of what you could do against him?
Brandon Rios: Yeah, it did. I’m not a little disappointed, I’m just kind of upset because of the fact that I thought he would take the fight more serious than he did, knowing that his career could be on the line and knowing that this was a do or die fight for him because he had lost his last two fights.
I thought he would be on the ball more and be ready for this type of fight, especially knowing that the guy in front of him is ready and rejuvenated and ready to come back with a bang. I thought that would give him a little more motivation to put on a show, especially in his back yard, in his home town.
Jenna J: After this fight, what are you looking for next?
Brandon Rios: Like I tell everybody, at the end of the day I have a manager — Cameron Dunkin — he’s one of the best in the business and I respect that guy a lot. He’s done a lot for me and he’s stood beside me, which I respect so much. Whatever he says and whoever he picks, that’s who I’ll fight.
I’m a fighter, I’ll fight anybody, it’s up to him, he’s the one that goes out and gets the fights for me and gets me paid. It’s up to him and Robert and of course Bob Arum. If those three guys can make a deal and they all agree at the same time, then we can fight whoever it is. If they don’t agree, then we don’t have a fight. That’s their job, that’s what I pay them for, and my job is just to be ready to fight.
Jenna J: A lot of fans saw the fighter that you were in this last fight, and some people question whether or not we saw the best of you when you fought Pacquiao. How do you think this Brandon Rios does against Pacquiao?
Brandon Rios: If I got the opportunity again, of course it would be a way different situation because I was confident in the Pacquiao fight but I think I got too cocky confident. I wasn’t really me, I thought I was unstoppable, I thought I was somebody else.
I just got too cocky and I forgot where I came from, I forgot the drive that got me to that point and I was just thinking that nobody could hurt me and nobody could touch me. Nobody hasn’t really hurt me yet but I just felt that I got too cocky, to tell you the truth. I just got too comfortable and cocky.
Like I said, it was a learning experience, I was young and making all this type of money that I’d never made before and it was just something that happened. I learned from my mistakes, I’m glad I learned it now rather than later because I’m still young in the sport and I can still do a lot more.
I have learned a lot about myself and I’m just ready to get back to the top again and this time not get overwhelmed about situations like that. I’m gonna stay humble, stay grounded and remember to keep moving forward. If I would have fought Pacquiao like I fought Alvarado this time, I think I would have given Pacquiao a lot more trouble than I did.
F u r comng 4ward den u wil be koed…
exactly
Pacquiao is not Alvarado! They are worlds apart in style so you can’t do to Pacquiao what you have done to Alvarado! Put that in your head!
I agree
exactly!!!
Correct me if i am mistaken, Alvarado had said that, he did not prepare much in their triology fight vs Rios. So, that’s what he got. To quit.
Every time Rios wins he says it is him. Every time he loses he says it is not him. Which is which?
Lol.. thats hype f ucker. dont compare alvarado to pacquiao. im not a boxer but i think i can fight better than alvarado. I think you know what i mean rios. Thats the reason you look good to alvarado. Alvarado is such a newbie on that fight. Like first timer. lol
yer right, it would be a whole lot different dude
If you’ve fought like you’ve fought Alvarado and Pacquiao fought like Alvarado, then yes. But if Pacquiao fought like Pacquiao, regardless of how you’ve fought you would still lose. Maybe this time, you won’t cry as hard though. LOL
hahahaha. very funny bro. u r right
No Mas on your first fight with Pac and from the fact that Pac came from ko with Marquez. You should be quiet and go on, forget the Pac fight cause you will end like a clown again.
If you would have fought like Pacquiao like you fought alvarado, you could have been koed. You’ve been on defense the whole fight after realizing that pac has power behind that blinding speed, punching you from all angles!!
If you would have fought Pacquiao like you fought alvarado, you could have been koed. You’ve been on defense the whole fight after realizing that pac has power behind that blinding speed, punching you from all angles!!
Make or break fight my ass . Alvarado and Rios both need to sit down and shut the F up . Best thing for them both to do is go down to the local car wash and get a job so they do something that maybe one day they’re good at .
Had Rios brawled the way he usually does against PacMan, any round could have been a lights-out for him. He should just shut the F up and train harder and study his next opponents. He’s still young and he has the potentials of a strong fighter, but he has to be smart!
If he fought Pacquiao the way he fought alvarado he would’ve been KTFO LOL.
a stupid moron like rios covering all the time in fighting pacman why show it to pacquiao before and kiss the canvass?.so stupid mind !.
just like mayweather sr say this guy cant fight… standing on his feet like a heavy punching bag a boxer mannequin pacquiao won over rios is the most dominate win in his 20 years career he fight alvarado not in good shape i feel sorry for this dumb because he insist that he belong to the elite level which is not
Whatever gains Rios made in his encounter and victory with Alvarado but it cannot serve as basis in overpowering Pacquiao. Pacquiao is so shifty and can neutralize Rios if again they fought.
YES,NOT UNTIL YOU WERE TESTED POSITIVE WITH DRUGS IN YOUR BODY WHEN YOU FIGHT PACQUIAO.MORON!
pacman is not alvarado and i hope u realize it.. thers no way alvarado is in level of the pacman.. if u fight pacman again and again the same result will happen just like the 1st meeting that u have.. the crying stuff and u mention that when u fight the pacman u thought that ur fighting 3 pacman inside the ring.. so shut the f up..
does he think floyd mayweather would duck a 120 million dollar payday if it was against this bum lol
alvarado just fought poorly.. thats very obvious
From his mouth he said that Alvarado wasn’t mentally focused.
There that’s the reason why you won over him.
Don’t compare Pacquiao and Alvarado.
You’ve had your chance.
You got cocky.
You tasted Pac’s speed and power.
And you were covering up the whole 12 rounds.
And now you’re saying something else ?
Last time I read about on Pac’s fight was that you were crying in an interview ?
Pathetic.
Brandon, When you fight, you only have ONE style…..and that style will never work ever for Pacquiao.
You just got lucky with Alvarado because he did not train properly and his mind is not into that fight due to a lot of personal troubles.
Fighting Pacquiao again?..don’t even dream about it….you’re way way out of his league.
Rios,you’re indeed a double BUM. Bum Bum Rios!!!
if u have speed same with pacman then i think u will win.
if paquiao fought this guy in his very first fight he would still have won the fight, rios is tough and thats all, Paquiao was coming back from a terrible knockout and was taking it easy against rios, yet he won every single round of the fight, Rios will never fight Paquiao again, btw even Algieri would schoo this bum and wouldnt lose a single round, rios has a problem cuz Arum will struggle to find a top rated opponent that wont beat Rios
Really?….Alvarado is not in the same class of Pacquiao…LOL! even you,Brandon…not even Floyd the Ducker.
Keep dreaming Bummer Rios…..
alvarado has more mileage..provodnikov battered him and juan manuel PED battered him also..thats why he has nothing left in his tank.
would like to see brandon fight against Ruslan..
Here we go again talk the talk walk the walk, before the manny pac fight you were so confident but with fight happend yo do nothing tou dont give pacman a single problem then suddenly you are saying all of this wtf the you to fighting you were so busy hiding………what happend to fighting manny octopus manny?
Ruslan will kick your big mouth
Rios needs to move on.If he feels this good then go challenge the Champion in your division:140 Pound Undefeated Champion Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia.
The Pacquiao match and Rios chapter are over. Move on forward Brandon.
Alvarado Chapter I mean.
I’m really not sure why there’s so much hate directed at Rios for his comments regarding Pacquiao. All he said was “I think I would have given Pacquiao a lot more trouble than I did.” He didn’t say he’d knock him out our win or anything, he simply thought he’d put up a better fight, which is surprisingly earnest and humble compared to the guy who fought Pacquiao a few years back. Rios is growing up, and both his in-ring performance and outside demeanor reflect that.
Dude, Rios was able to confuse you ala Floydie jr. . Be real!
Wow… How’d Mayweather get pulled into this? These comments are slowly heading to “Hitler ate sugar” territory.
Wishful Thinking! Same result you will be pummeled by Pacquiao from Pillar to Post. You need lightning speed against Pacquiao to beat him. You are too slow Brandon.
another round?…another heartbreaking loss to pacman again…lol
Hehehe poor rios. It’s not even a fight with the PACMAN. It’s too one sided ;)) your a clown
A big fight must be between Rios and Malignaggi. They both have BIG BIG MOUTHS!!!
BAM BAM HEAD. You did not cause any trouble to Pacquiao when you fought.. How could you be confident when you were up against the best in the business. The truth is you were a a MOVING PUNCHING BAG when you fought Pacquioa.