The manager of Denver-based junior welterweight “Mile High” Mike Alvarado has confirmed a report that Alvarado’s next fight is being targeted for Colorado on HBO in October or November.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 knockouts) is coming off a unanimous decision over former WBA lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios (31-1-1, 23 KOs) in March. The fight was a rematch of Rios’ bloody seventh-round stoppage victory in October of last year.

“Last week, they told us that they’re going to do something here in Denver. They just have to get the dates right and the venue,” said Alvarado’s co-manager, Henry Delgado, adding that Alvarado is on vacation until the middle of next week. “We’ve fought here before, and he’s sold out every time that he’s fought here. This should be a great promotion.”

Delgado said Alvarado is still recovering from a tendon injury on the middle finger of his left hand, which he suffered in the return bout with Rios.

“He had surgery on it right after the last fight. About three days after the last fight,” said Delgado. “We’re already set for October. It should be fine. It won’t be a problem.”

Meanwhile, Rios will next face Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight bout on Nov. 23 in Macau (Nov. 24 in China). Alvarado was also a candidate for Pacquiao.

ANDRE WARD BREAKS DOWN FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.-SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ

During a recent interview with RingTV.com, RING super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who also works as a ringside commentator for HBO, shared his thoughts on the Sept. 14 Showtime Pay Per View megabout featuring Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 knockouts) and 154-pound champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs).

THE RING’s welterweight champion and No. 1-rated pound-for-pound fighter, Mayweather, 36, will face a junior middleweight for only the third time in his career in Alvarez, who will turn 23 next month.

“Floyd said that he wanted to fight the best on his way out, and he’s proving that. He’s showing that. You’ve got to tip your hat to Flolyd. Canelo’s been asking for the fight, and now he’s got it,” said Ward.

“People can’t say that Floyd is ducking out on the best opponents, so you’ve got to respect Floyd Mayweather with this decision that he’s made. He should have been respected before, but he’s just showing again why he should be recognized as the champion and the legend that he is.”

For his most recent fight, Mayweather’s father, Floyd Mayweather Sr., worked as his son’s trainer for the first time in 13 years, guiding him to a nearly flawless one-sided unanimous decision victory over Robert Guerrero.

It was a much different performance from the one a year earlier, when Mayweather emerged victorious but bloodied after a more physical fight against Miguel Cotto.

“Floyd Sr. being an old school trainer, he understands that, No. 1, if my son is going to last then he’s going to have to do what he’s got to do but he’s got to smart about it. He’s like, ‘I want my son to be walking and talking right when his career is over. So I don’t knock Floyd. He does what he has to do. As far as Canelo, I think that the only major advantage that he has is physical strength and punching power,” said Ward.

“But I just think that Floyd is just on another level. I think that when he gets in there with Floyd, that he’s going to realize that Floyd is stronger than he realizes and that Floyd hits harder than he realizes and that he’s going to be too sharp and doing too many things for Canelo. You don’t know what you’ve got until you’re fighting the best, and, I think that Canelo’s getting his opportunity right now.”

JOHN MOLINA MEETS ANDREY KLIMOV ON FRIDAY

John Molina (25-2, 20 KOs), of Covina, Calif., and Russia’s Andrey Klimov (15-0, 8 KOs) will fight in a lightweight bout on Friday at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Wash., on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights, an event that is being promoted by Goossen Tutor.

Molina is coming off January’s fourth-round stoppage of “Dangerous” Dannie Williams, while Klimov’s last fight ended in a seventh-round technical decision over Matias Gomez in March.

In the semi-main event, Philadelphia super middleweight Farah Ennis (20-1, 12 KOs) will face Anthony Hanshaw (23-2-2, 14 KOs), of Kernersville, N.C.

JORGE MELENDEZ FACES NICK BRINSON ON FRIDAY ON SHOWTIME

Puerto Rican junior middleweight Jorge “The Destroyer” Melendez (26-2-1, 25 KOs), who is promoted by Miguel Cotto, will face Rochester’s Nick Brinson (14-1-2, 6 KOs) in Friday’s main event of Showtime’s ShoBox: The New Generation at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) from the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y.

In another bout, Jonathan “Pitbull” Vidal (16-0, 8 KO’s), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, will face bantamweight rival Mario “Yayo” Mu├▒oz (13-0-1, 1 NC, 10 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Mexico. The event is being presented by Miguel Cotto Promotions and H2 Entertainment.

BRANDON GONZALES FIGHTS THOMAS OOTHUIZEN ON JUNE 29

On June 29 on HBO, from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, super middleweights Brandon Gonzales (17-0, 10 KOs), of Sacramento, and South Africa’s Thomas Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KO’s) will fight.

Rated No. 5 by THE RING at 168 pounds, Oosthuizen’s most recent fight was a 12-round unanimous decision over Fulgencio Zuniga. The undefeated Gonzales will be fighting 12 rounds for the first time in his career, having only gone as high as eight rounds to this point. His last win was a unanimous decision over Don Mouton in January.

Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]