On Saturday Mexican boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez will step into the ring with Mike Alvarado in a fight that could define the rest of both men's careers. While Marquez is a surefire Hall of Famer with very little left to prove, Alvarado is trying to show he's more than just an entertaining brawler.
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Alvarado's best known for his two brawls with Brandon Rios, which they have split. In the second fight Alvarado picked his spots to brawl, eventually out-boxing Rios to the win. He then moved on to face "The Siberian Rocky" Ruslan Provodnikov, where he reverted to his brawler mentality and suffered a tough defeat.
Alvarado said losing to Provodnikov changed his entire outlook. "It brought humbleness back to me," Alvarado told Bleacher Report. "I'm a lot more focused. I'm more humble. I wasn't looking at the fight like I should've been."
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He also admitted to riding high after overcoming his rival Rios and looking past Provodnikov. "I was looking past Provodnikov. I wasn't looking into him. I wasn't as hungry as I am right now. That fight was just destined to happen that way for my career."
Despite the loss, a win over Marquez would plant him squarely back in the mix among big-time welterweight challengers. However, the redemption story has a major speed bump--Marquez.
"Dinamita" is close to the end of the line, but he desperately wants a welterweight title. This fight is not for a belt, but a victory may land him another bout with Manny Pacquiao, whom he beat his last time out.
"I'm interested in it, of course, but I have to get past Mike Alvarado on Saturday and that's not an easy fight," Marquez said. "Alvarado is a big, strong guy and he's going to be a challenge for me."
Retirement whispers are beginning to follow Marquez, but he is ignoring them. He even said he is young compared to 49-year-old light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins. "It used to be, when you got to 40, you were way too old. But that's not how it is right now. I'm in great shape and doing the things I could do a long time ago."
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