Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado in Los Angeles (Photo: Chris Farina – Top Rank)
By Chris Robinson
On May 17, one of this generation’s great technicians steps back into the ring when Juan Manuel Marquez meets up with Mike Alvarado in an HBO showcase from the revamped Forum in Los Angeles.
Having just turned 40, Marquez is coming off of a bitter split-decision loss to Tim Bradley this past October 12 in which he performed relatively well outside of being outhustled in certain rounds.
One week after that bout, Alvarado was stopped in brutal fashion by Ruslan Provodnikov in another wild encounter.
Marquez had nothing but nice things to say about Alvarado, calling the Denver native a “great fighter” and emphasizing how hard he is going to have to train for this tussle.
As for Provodnikov, Marquez again noted why he decided to pass on an opportunity to face the affable Russian slugger.
“Provodnikov is a great fighter,” Marquez explained. “He’s a champion. I was the champion in super lightweight. I don’t want to champion in the same weight. I want to be champion in welterweight. I don’t fight with Provodnikov because Provodnikov is a super lightweight champion.”
If Marquez finds a way to beat Alvarado, he could very well be in line for a crack at the winner of the April 12 Manny Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley rematch.
Marquez knows each man very well, having faced Pacquiao four times already, yet he doesn’t want to look too far ahead at this point.
“I don’t know what [will] happen in the future,” said Marquez. “I can’t say nothing right now.”
*** FOR A VISIT back in Pacquiao’s career in photos, check the thumbnails below…
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com