Gladiators at the Forum; Alvarado vs. Marquez, May 17th

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Photo by thesweetscience.com
Photo by thesweetscience.com

It’s official! Although he was passed up by Top Rank for Brandon Rios this past November and missing a big payday against Manny Pacquiao, Mike Alvarado finally gets his deal for a big money fight in two months against boxing great Juan Manuel Marquez on May 17, at the Forum in Ingelwood, CA. Both fighters are coming off losses this past October. Alvarado suffered a brutal loss to Ruslan Provodnikov getting stopped before coming out for the 11th round in Broomfield, CO. Marquez is coming off a split decision loss to Timothy Bradley at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV.

This bout will be above the junior welterweight limit of 140 pounds, with them fighting at a catch weight of 143. This will be the first time Mike Alvarado has fought above 140. The fight is also remarkable because it is one of two semi-final bouts with the winner facing whoever prevails in the Timothy Bradley-Manny Pacquiao rematch which is taking place on April 12, in Las Vegas, NV. Alvarado-Marquez will be the main event of an HBO broadcast with the winners likely facing off later this year.

Mike Alvarado’s trainer Henry Delgado reported, “Marquez is a legend. Just ask Manny Pacquiao; You can never count the legends out, ever. Look at Roberto Duran, how many times he came back to upset people. Marquez is one of Mike’s and my favorite fighters of all time. We respect him big time.”

This fight became official yesterday and it is very interesting for a lot of reasons. A loss for Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KO’s) could mean the end of an outstanding and exciting career for one of boxing’s greatest counter punchers of all time. For Alvarado (34-2, 23 KO’s), a second straight loss (and a third in his last four fights) could mean a downward spiral of a career that was on the brink of really taking off into boxing’s mainstream given he was already one of true boxing fans’ favorite and most exciting action fighters the past few years. Styles make fights, and both of these guys are crowd pleasers who have been involved in many wars. I could truly see this one pushing for THE fight of the year in 2014.

That said, don’t miss the gladiators at the Forum. In my opinion, it’s a can’t miss fight which will likely result in a bloody all out war; and as a Colorado native, I am pulling for Alvarado. My gut is telling me it will be a split decision victory for Mike Alvarado. He can mix it up with Marquez, who at 40, does not punch near as hard as Provodnikov (despite the perfectly timed and placed punch against Pacquiao in 2012), and I don’t think Marquez will be getting the same Alvarado that Provodnikov got; the under trained fighter in his hometown that struggled to make weight.

I am very excited for this one. Tell me what you think at myboxingfans.com.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Mile High Mike is one of my best boxers but this is a legitimate future hall of famer he’ll be facing and im afraid hes not ready. I know Mike wants that payday but unless he gets another trainer and gets better defense and footwork, it will be hard for Marquez miss. Itll be fun to watch though because Mike always has the punches chance.

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