Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

RingTV.com has a live, round-by-round update of Saturday night’s HBO-televised battle of welterweights in which Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 knockouts) scored a third-round knockdown on the way to a third-round technical knockout victory over Mike Alvarado (34-4 23 KOs) at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado, representing the third meeting between the two after having split their prior bouts as junior welterweights.

Rios out-landed Alvarado, 120-to-20 in total punches.

A former lightweight titleholder, the 28-year-old Rios had gone 2-2 in his previous four fights and was coming off a ninth-round disqualification victory over Diego Chaves in August to bounce back from a unanimous-decision loss to Manny Pacquiao in his welterweight debut in November 2013.

Alvarado, 34, had gone 3-3 in his previous six fights, starting with a bloody, 10th-round knockout of Breidis Prescott in November 2011 that was followed by a unanimous decision over Mauricio Herrera in April 2012. Rios won the first meeting between the two, stopping Alvarado in the seventh round in October 2012 before losing the return bout by unanimous decision in March 2013.

After his second fight with Rios, Alvarado was dropped twice in the eighth of a 10th-round stoppage loss to Ruslan Provodnikov in October 2013 before swapping knockdowns with Juan Manuel Marquez en route to a unanimous-decision loss in his last fight in May.

The HBO broadcast began at 9:45 p.m.

Click here for expert picks of who wins Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado III

Rios vs. Alvarado

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Referee: Jay Nady

Judges: Levi Martinez, Robert Hoyle, Ed Kugler

Brandon Rios booed during his ring entrance, Mike Alvarado, alternately cheered by his partisan fans.

Ring announcer Michael Buffer: “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!!!!”

BRANDON RIOS WINS BY THIRD ROUND STOPPAGE!!!

Round 1 Fighters at ring center. Two lazy jabs by each fighter. Rios moving forward behind his. Alvarado circling. Clinch. Alvarado switches to southpaw and still circules. Rios applying pressure and and a left hook. Rios lands a couple of lefts and rights. Alvarado still has a high guard. Rios trying to open up. On the ropes, Rios takes a hook and a jab. Off the ropes, Rios lands a left uppercut and a couple of hooks. Rios appears to be more relaxed. Right to the body by Rios and a right to the head. Rios pounds a left to the body. Right and left uppercut. Alvarado already bleeding from lefts and rights and takes a right at the bell. Alvarado bleeding from the nose. Rios, 10-9.

Round 2 Trainer Robert Garcia pleased with Rios’ first round, which had Rios out-landing Alvarado, 29-to-6 in the round. Right uppercut hurts Alvarado, who is getting pounded from the body to the head. Straight right by Rios, who has Alvarado busted up and bleeding again. Alvarado goes southpaw to no avail. Rios wobbles Alvarado with a right and a left and a hook. Rios DOWN from a left to the groin by Alvarado. Takes time to recover and goes back to punishing Alvarado with uppercuts and hammers a right and a left hook that wobble Alvarado. Mostly a one-sided fight and round in favor of Rios, who ends with a right and a left along the ropes. Rios, 10-9, Rios, 20-18.

Round 3 Rios out-landed Alvarado, 39-10, in the second round. Rios pounds a double-right to the body and a left uppercut. Three straight rights and two right uppercuts followed by hooks and uppecuts from both hands by Rios. It’s target practice for Rios. Right and left swivel Alvarado’s head. Alvarado bleeding again form the nose and just getting hammered. Rights and lefts to the head. ALVARADO TAKES A KNEE AFTER A LEFT AND A RIGHT. RISES AT THE COUNT OF NINE FROM REFEREE JAY NADY. Rios continues to nail Alvarado with lefts, rights to the head and body Alvarado has little in the way of response. Rios, 10-8; Rios, 30-26.

FIGHT’S OVER, ALVARADO REMAINS ON HIS STOOL BETWEEN ROUNDS!!!!!

BRANDON RIOS WINS BY THIRD ROUND STOPPAGE!!!