Top Rank targeting third Rios vs Alvarado fight for January 2015

According to a report at The Sweet Science, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says it's "likely" that we'll see Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado fight for a third time in January 2015, possibly ending speculation about where those two somewhat wayward stars will go next.

Rios (32-2-1, 23 KO) has lost two of his last three -- and it easily could be three of his last five without a gift decision against Richar Abril in 2011 -- but did get a win his last time out, an underwhelming DQ duke over Diego Chaves on HBO. Alvarado (34-3, 23 KO) has been dominated in two straight losses, stopped in October 2013 by Ruslan Provodnikov, and then totally outclassed by Juan Manuel Marquez this past May.

Neither fighter is exactly a hot property at the moment, and there's at least some reason to wonder how much the 34-year-old Alvarado, in particular, has left in the tank. He's taken a lot of punishment, certainly isn't getting any younger, and looked flat in both of his last two outings.

Rios-Alvarado III would hold at least some interest, though, because their first two fights were both highly entertaining. The original in October 2012 was a stone cold classic, a war between two guys who refused to back down. The March 2013 rematch was a bit disappointing, but still a good fight, with Alvarado adjusting and outboxing Rios to draw their series at 1-1.

Do you want to see Rios-Alvarado III, or would you rather see these fighters do something else?