Frank LorenzoMike Alvarado looks to take a step forward to challenge eventually for the WBO welterweight title, but to do so he needs to beat veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, this Saturday at the Forum, in a 12 round fight.
Mike Alvarado looks to take a step forward to challenge eventually for the WBO welterweight title, but to do so he needs to beat veteran Juan Manuel Marquez, this Saturday at the Forum, in a 12 round fight.
Alvarado has a 34-2 record, and 23 of those 34 wins were via knockout; however, he has never met against an opponent like Marquez before.
“I’m ready for a war,” Alvarado said.
On his last outing, Alvarado lost to Ruslan Provodnikov for the WBO light welterweight title.
“I took a couple months to put that fight behind me,” Alvarado said. “Knowing that it was in my hometown, in front of all my people and family. It was tougher mentally, but physically I am fine. I got past it.”
Marquez is 55-7-1 on his career; after dramatically knocking Manny Pacquiao out, he lost to Timothy Bradley on his last fight. The good news for Marquez is that the Forum is a familiar place for him, considering he went 12-0 at the Forum between 1995 and ’99,
“A lot of people know me and that I don’t like talking outside of the ring. I do my job in the ring, so I have three points in my mind for this fight,” said Marquez. “Number one, Mike Alvarado is a strong fighter, a great fighter and I have a tough fight. Number two, I have prepared myself very hard for this fight because this fight’s going to be a war. Number three, the people will see a great, great fight because Mike Alvarado wants to win the fight; I want to win the fight and this fight will be a war.”
The boxing odds have the Alvarado +210, while Marquez is -280.
