Consisting of timed three minute rounds, a ten round prizefight offers thirty minutes of brutal, often violent action. Not twenty-nine minutes and thirty seconds, not even twenty-nine minutes and fifty seconds. Thirty minutes in which one movement, one punch can determine the outcome not only of the singular contest, but of careers and lives.

Never did every second matter as much as it did in the main event of the Mile High Throwdown III at the Mile High Event Center on March 7, 2009. With two seconds remaining in the final stanza of an otherwise soporific fight, "Mile High" Mike Alvarado woke up the echoes of the 2,000 plus hometown fans cheering his name with a sudden and stunning knockout of the durable, though largely feckless, Emmanuel Clottey.

Alvarado controlled every minute of the fight from the opening toll of the bell to the coup de grâce in the waning moments of the battle. Continually moving to his left and sticking his stiff jab in the face of the defensive minded Clottey, Alvarado seemed to stagger the Ghanaian even with blows that were partially blocked.

With Clottey utilizing the same tight, hands up, defensive posture practiced by his more accomplished younger brother, Joshua (the current IBF welterweight champion), Alvarado sought to get around this guard by landing ripping left hooks to the body and overhand rights to Clottey's head. As the rounds passed it became more and more apparent that Clottey did not have the power or offensive arsenal necessary to gain the respect of Alvarado.

Ten seconds into the fourth round, "Mile High" Mike unloaded on Clottey with two quick left hooks to the right side of Clottey's face and head, causing Clottey to taste the canvas for the first time in the bout. Being the resilient combatant that he is, Clottey rose to his feet and the punishment continued unabated.

As the middle rounds wore on, and Alvarado continued to have his way with his foe, the crowd grew restless in their seats, hoping for their local hero to bring a definitive end to this fistic encounter. Many of the spectators knew that Clottey had been stopped via TKO by another rising junior welterweight contender, Victor Ortiz, and they yearned for Alvarado to accomplish the same feat.

The tenth and final round commenced with more of the same, as Alvarado pushed Clottey around the ring with the force of his strong, powerful punches. Then came the clapping sound signifying ten seconds remaining in the fight; it appeared that Clottey would weather the storm and at least obtain the satisfaction of having gone the distance with a title contender.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, lightning struck in the form of an Alvarado left hook and right cross combination. The left hook lifted the chin of Clottey in prime position for Alvarado's bodacious right hand that landed square on the chin of Clottey. Immediately, Clottey's body went limp and he fell to the canvas, motionless, eyes closed, knocked out cold. No doubt, Alvarado had just delivered the leading candidate for Knockout of the Year.

It would be a good thirty seconds to a minute before Clottey regained consciousness, and even then, he had to be carried from the ring to the dressing room.

With this victory, Alvarado's record now stands at 25-0 (18 KOs). He is scheduled to appear on the highly coveted undercard of the Ricky Hatton – Manny Pacquiao fight on May 2nd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the new Mecca of boxing. While his opponent is yet to be determined, one can only hope that he will face a top 10 junior welterweight. Possible names that would fit the bill are Marcos Maidana, Herman Ngoudjo, Ricardo Torres, Paulie Malignaggi, Vivian Harris, or Junior Witter.

A victory over a top 10 opponent live on HBO Pay-Per-View on May 2nd should lead to a title shot for "Mile High" Mike. The time is now for Alvarado. Carpe diem.

1. Rob "Red Hot" Frankel (27-9-1, 4 KOs) vs. Ricardo Dominguez (26-4-2, 15 KOs) – 10 Rounds - Lightweight:
In the co-feature bout of the evening, Rob Frankel continued his winning ways with a unanimous decision victory over the game Dominguez, who hails from Culiacan, Mexico. The judges' scorecards read: 99-91, 98-92, and 97-93. This was by far the most competitive fight of the evening. Both men sustained cuts in this give and take battle. While Dominguez was effective on the inside and on the ropes, landing the kind of left hooks to the body that made Julio Cesar Chavez and Culiacan famous, Frankel took control of the fight by moving the action to the center of the ring where his boxing skills and sharp, straight right hands sealed the win.

2. Shawn Nichol (3-1, 3 KOs) vs. Ray Montez (1-1, 1 KO) – 4 Rounds - Bantamweight:
Nichol proved Teddy Roosevelt's famous axiom, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far," with a thrilling knockout less than ten seconds into the first round. It's too bad for Montez that he didn't heed Roosevelt's advice. In the build-up to the fight, "Holly-e-wood" Montez had a lot to say, but it was Nichol's left hand and skills borne out of a great amateur pedigree that did all the talking where it counts the most...inside the squared circle.

3. Jerry Belmontes (7-0, 2 KOs) vs. Richard Flores – 4 Rounds - Featherweight:
It's easy to see why Top Rank has their eye on the development of Belmontes. Fresh off his victory on the undercard of the Margarito – Mosley bout, he scored a TKO victory two minutes and twenty-eight seconds into the 4th round, after Flores' corner mercifully decided to stop the carnage and threw in the towel. Flores was on the canvas too many times to count. Even though Flores was a late replacement, one can see the talent possessed by Belmontes. He has a quick, popping jab and very good hand speed. What he may lack in power, he makes up for with sound technique and boxing acumen.

4. Mark Melliguen (13-1, 10 KOs) vs. Gerardo Prieto (6-6-1, 0 KOs) – 8 Rounds – Welterweight:
Melliguen won with a TKO at three minutes of Round 5. The corner of Prieto threw in the towel in between rounds 5 and 6 as their fighter was taking a lot of punishment from the Filipino southpaw. Melliguen has calves the size of tree trunks and well-defined abdominal muscles. What he lacks is an authoritative jab, choosing instead to press the action with right hooks and a good lead straight left hand. His hand speed is also impressive.

5. Ernie Marquez (8-5-2, 3 KOs) vs. Saul Gutierrez (6-15-2, 2 KOs) – 6 Rounds – Super Flyweight:
This was an entertaining scrap between two high volume punchers. Marquez came away with a unanimous decision win, with the judges' scorecards reading: 58-56 (three times). These two little guys gave the crowd a lot to cheer for, with the hometown man (Marquez is from Ft. Morgan, CO) husbanding most of the cheers. Marquez's record is deceiving as he has been matched with numerous tough prospects. He also holds a victory over Yan Barthelemy, the Cuban 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in the Light Flyweight division.

6. Jorge Carrasco (2-0-1, 0 KOs) vs. Terry Buterbaugh (3-2-1, 2 KOs) – 4 Rounds – Super Lightweight:
Like many 4 round fights, this was a tough one to score; hence the majority draw decision that was rendered. The scorecards were: 39-37 Carrasco and 38-38 (twice). Both Carrasco and Buterbaugh are from Denver, CO. Carrasco is a fighter with some promise. He scored with a lot of nice straight rights and a good jab.

7. Raul Carrillo (2-0, 1 KO) vs. Fernando Castaneda (1-4, 2 KOs) – 4 Rounds – Welterweight:
Carrillo came away with a majority decision win. The scoring went: 38-38, 39-37 Carrillo (twice). Castaneda began the bout by landing a lot of good body shots in the first round. Round 2 was a give and take fight, with Carrillo coming on towards the end of the round with some big right hand shots. Carrillo continued his right hand onslaught in the third round and took control of the action. He is another promising fighter out of Delgado's Gym. Carrillo would be well served to bend more at the knees, thus creating more leverage on his punches and avoiding fighting in an upright stance.

8. Joey Montoya (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Fernando Beltran (0-1, 0 KOs) – 4 Rounds – Heavyweight:
This was the professional debut for both of these big men. As is the case with many inexperienced heavyweights, boxing technique quickly was forgotten and it turned into a brawl. Montoya came away with a knockout victory forty seconds into the 1st round, giving him an unblemished record to begin his professional career.