Brandon Rios vs Mike Alvarado rematch done for March 30 on HBO

Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado went seven brutal rounds in October, in a fight that managed to meet or even surpass astronomical expectations for action, and on March 30, they'll do it again. A rematch has been finalized as an HBO main event from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Rios (31-0-1, 23 KO) was planned as Manny Pacquiao's next opponent in April before Pacquiao was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez. When Pacquiao-Rios no longer made sense, plans shifted for a rematch with Alvarado (33-1, 23 KO), thanks to the great response to the first fight.

"It's a can't miss. They will pick up where they left off in round seven. How much can it be different," said Top Rank VP Carl Moretti to BoxingScene.com. ... "The biggest fight you could make for Rios is Alvarado even though he won the first one."

There's really no way to not want to see this fight, since it's guaranteed all-out action once again. The question will be whether or not Alvarado can do enough differently this time to avoid the same result.

As for an HBO co-feature, a fight between Jessie Vargas and Wale Omotoso has been discussed.