“Mile High” Mike Alvarado makes his highly anticipated return to the ring Friday night for Top Rank Boxing on a nationally televised card on Unimas at 9 p.m. MDT from the UIC Pavillion Center against Mathew Strode (24-4, 9 KO).

Alvarado (36-4, 24 KO), now 36 years old, hasn’t been in the ring since June of 2016 when he defeated Josh Torres in a 12-round decision. Although Mike struggled against Torres, he was able to come out victorious. Some boxing experts feel Mike’s best days are behind him, but you can never count out Mike, who was the WBC Junior Welterweight Champion in 2013.

Alvarado and his team recently joined The Final Word with Joe Rico and Alex Ramirez on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 to talk about what he’s been doing since his last fight against Torres.

“What I’ve been doing this whole time off is soul searching myself to bring that fire out of me,” Alvarado said. “The best about it is the training and critiquing I’ve been getting from my cousin and my uncle, so I can’t wait to exploit that.”

As for Mike getting back to the top, he knows he needs to gain the respect he once had as a local favorite after a couple of disappointing fights here in Denver on HBO Boxing.

“I want to be back in the mix at the highest level of boxing again,” Alvarado said. “I was there once before and now I value all my time, all my training and where I’m at my life and career. So I know I belong at the level. So I’m putting in all the hard work.”

Main Event: Mike Conlan (1-0, 1 KO) vs Alfredo Chanez (4-4, 2 KO)
Co-Main Event: Mike Alvarado (36-4, 24 KO) vs Mathew Strode (24-4, 9 KO)
TV: UNimas SoleBoxeo
Time: 9 p.m. MDT

Listen to the full interview with Mike Alvarado, including Todd Romero from Altitude TV recalling his favorite Alvarado stories, in the podcasts below.

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Catch The Final Word with Joe Rico and Alex Ramirez every Sunday from 10a-noon on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado Sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.

Featured Image Credit: Amanda Armstrong, Trihex Photography