Juan Manuel Marquez is set to face "Mile High" Mike Alvarado on Saturday, in a battle that means the world to both men's careers. While Marquez is a future Hall of Famer, he's searching for an elusive fifth title in as many weight classes. Alvarado, on the other hand, is fighting to remain viable as a headline fighter after dropping two of his past three fights.
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Marquez lost his last fight in October 2013 to Timothy Bradley, a fight that was relatively close, but probably not the robbery Marquez claimed it was. While a win on Saturday might propel him to a title fight with Manny Pacquiao, a loss could be devastating. Alvarado knows the stakes.
"It's the biggest opportunity of my whole career, knowing that I'm fighting a Mexican legend...and possibly retiring a Mexican legend, so there's just way more motivation," Alvarado said.
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"Mile High" is best known for his two brawls with Brandon Rios, which the pair split, followed by a brutal war with Ruslan Provodnikov that saw him beaten into submission by Round 10. Alvarado's unquestionably become one of the most popular attractions in the sport because of his style, but he wants to be known as an elite based on his skill and track record.
"Retiring a legend is going to be huge," said Alvarado. "I respect Marquez and his great career but now is my time. This is one of those opportunities that you cannot miss and I will give everything in the ring to get the win. It'll be a great fight and I have to fight without any mistakes to beat Marquez."
He also admitted to having looked past Provodnikov his last time out, and sees this fight as redemption.
"This is a huge step in my life to redeem myself and I know that this is only going to make me a better person, a better fighter and a better man in my life. I respect Marquez fully, he's a legend in this game, he's already made his mark. This is the perfect opportunity for me to redeem myself and even retire as a legend."
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