Brandon Rios plans no change for rematch with Mike Alvarado

Brandon Rios says he learned all he needs to know about his opponent Mike Alvarado by battling him through seven vicious rounds in October.

“I saw in his eyes after I hurt him with a body shot in the fifth round, I knew I would finish him and that he knew he couldn’t hurt me,” Rios said, who won their junior-welterweight bout by seventh-round technical knockout.

It’s why Oxnard’s Rios (31-0-1, 23 knockouts) won’t change anything about his approach in Saturday’s rematch with Alvarado.

That first brawl, at Carson’s Home Depot Center, was runner-up to the Juan Manuel Marquez-Manny Pacquiao epic as fight of the year.

The Rios-Alvarado rematch will be televised by HBO at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Alvarado (33-1, 23 KOs) is leaning on the idea that two judges had the first bout tied after six rounds.

“If he thinks I’m going to fight his fight again, he’ll have an awakening,” Alvarado said of Rios. “He’s going to have to come and get me. I mean that. I don’t care what he or the fans want. As a warrior, I have nothing to prove. I plan on boxing and scoring and winning rounds.”

Rios, 26, dismisses Alvarado’s suggestion.

“I don’t care what he says about adjustments,” Rios said. “At the end of the night, him knowing I don’t like him, we’ll be in the center of the ring, toe to toe.”

“We’ve implemented techniques to deal with that and have better defense,” Alvarado said. “Brandon’s just going to come forward, he doesn’t care if he gets hit. I will control the pace of the fight.”

Saturday’s winner will be in a favorable career spot, poised to fight either Marquez, Pacquiao or Timothy Bradley next.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire