Tonight at 10:15 p.m. ET at the Forum in Inglewood California, two warriors will step into the ring trying to save their viability as headline-caliber fighters. Juan Manuel Maruqez, fresh off a loss to Timothy Bradley, will take on Mike Alvarado, looking to rebound from a clash with Ruslan Provodnikov; the winner is widely expected to face Manny Pacquiao and the WBO welterweight strap. Watch the matchup on HBO, or live stream it by clicking this link.
Marquez enters the ring with far more pedigree, but he's also 40 years old. While he's a historically great counterpuncher with proven power, Alvarado is a hungry fighter with a well-known lust for firefights.
Mike Alvarado is a strong fighter. He is a great fighter. He wants to win and I want to win so that will make it a great fight," Marquez said. "The people want to see these kinds of fights. He likes to fight and I like to fight so that's what makes a great fight. I need to use all of my experience in the ring. This fight will be a war."
Alvarado is bigger, younger, and possibly stronger, but how much he has left after three straight brutal fights with Brandon Rios and Provodnikov is a valid question. Unsurprisingly, Alvarado says he's fully recovered from his brush with the Siberian Rocky.
"I took a couple months to put that fight [against Provodnikov] behind me. Knowing that it was in my hometown, in front of all my people and my family, it was tougher mentally. But physically I am fine -- I got past it," Alvarado said. "I just focused on my health and I was good. Then I began to focus on which fight was going to be next."
As for Pacman, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum left no doubt the winner will be offered a big money bout. "The first thing I did was talk to Manny and he is up to fight the winner," Arum said.
"There is nothing contractual with the two fighters that are fighting Saturday, but they know I will offer the winner a fight with Manny and it's up to the winner to accept or reject it. So that's where we stand. Manny has agreed to fight the winner, so I would say that once we got the terms straightened out it would be a done deal."
Prediction: Alvarado by TKO Round 10.
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