Juan Manuel Marquez tops Alvarado

Photo:  Chris Farina/Top Rank –

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Anyone for Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez V?

That is the fight likely to happen in the fall after Marquez put on a clinic against Mike Alvarado and won a lopsided unanimous decision in a welterweight title elimination bout before a raucous pro-Marquez crowd of 12,090 on Saturday night. It was the first fight at the refurbished Forum, which had not hosted a boxing card since 2001.

The resounding victory, one in which Marquez did have to survive a knockdown in the ninth round, made Marquez the mandatory challenger for Pacquiao, who regained his welterweight world title by outpointing Timothy Bradley Jr. in their April 12 rematch.

The judges had it 119-109, 117-109, 117-109 for Marquez. ESPN.com also had it 117-109 for Marquez, who dropped Alvarado in the eighth round.

Making the win even sweeter for Marquez was the fact that it took place at the Forum, where, as an unknown, he cut his teeth and developed into a featherweight contender, going 12-0 with nine knockouts in the arena between 1995 and 1999.

“I said it was going to be a tough fight and I said it was going to be a difficult fight,” Marquez said. “I wanted to give the public here a gift. A gift that dignifies the history of this event and the history of the Forum.

Marquez-Alvarado punch stats

“I wanted to make this fight a gift to the fans.”

Another gift might be a fifth fight with Pacquiao. He and Marquez have already met four times in all-time great fights. Although Pacquiao leads the series 2-1-1, Marquez’s lone victory was as definitive as the others were controversial.

In their fourth fight, in December 2012, Marquez knocked Pacquiao unconscious with a right hand at the end of the sixth round for one of the most memorable knockouts in boxing history.

Although Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) lost his next fight by split decision challenging then-titleholder Bradley in October, he bounced back in a big way against Alvarado, the former junior welterweight titlist.

But he was not going to make a definitive statement about fighting Pacquiao next right after the fight.

“Finally, in that fourth [Pacquiao] fight, we obtained justice,” he said. “This fight is for all of the Mexicans that have supported me in that fourth fight and this fight was for them. [As for a fifth fight with Pacquiao], we’ll relax. I don’t know at the moment but any decision we make will be good for me, good for my family and good for the Mexican fans.

“I’m not making a decision on Pacquiao right now. I felt great in the fight and I know I did a great job, but let me see how I feel in a couple of weeks. I am not making a decision on a Pacquiao fight right away. I’m gonna rest and think about it.”

While the crowd chanted “Marquez! Marquez! Marquez!” during the first round, he was firing punches, but Alvarado started very slowly. Alvarado was barely throwing any punches in the early rounds and anything he did throw Marquez countered well.

The 40-year-old Marquez, a shoe-in Hall of Fame and one of the best fighters in Mexican history, raised swelling around Alvarado’s right eye in the third round as he continued to land hard, clean jabs.

Marquez, who earned $1.4 million, also had his right hand working well as he was aggressive with it against an Alvarado (34-3, 23 KOs), 33, of Denver, who appeared confused and was either unable or unwilling to throw many punches until turning things around later in the bout.

Marquez continued to land powerful punches in the sixth round as the right side of Alvarado’s face began to become more and more swollen. There was an exciting exchange at the end of the round but Marquez clearly got the better of it. Even when Alvarado, who made $650,000, did land anything, Marquez, one of the great counter punchers in boxing history, countered him.

But the fight became more exciting in the second half even though Marquez was in control. He was having another dominating round in the eighth when he landed a huge right hand flush on Alvarado’s jaw a couple of seconds before the round ended and Alvarado went down. He beat the count and the round ended.

“It was a bad experience being in there with a legend,” Alvarado said. “I was warming up a little bit too much before I started getting off. It was on me but it was a great fight.

“I knew I needed to let my hands go to create some more shots for me. The way the fight went, he backed up and he felt the power from me so he fought a good fight.”

Moments into the ninth round, Alvarado landed a clean right that dropped Marquez, nearly silencing the crowd. But he got up, did not appear badly hurt and engaged Alvarado in an action-packed exchange that brought the crowd to life again.

“That’s the kind of fighter I am. I like wars,” Alvarado said. “That’s how he exploited me and that’s how I fight. My hat’s off to him. I thank God it was a good fight. I am happy with this opportunity and blessed that we are safe and it’s good.”

Alvarado’s left eye was also damaged and a purple mess after the ninth round and the ringside doctor gave it a good look, but the fight went on. After the 10th round, Alvarado’s corner told him he needed a knockout.

Alvarado landed a right hand near the end of the 11th round that made Marquez’s legs buckle, and he nearly went down.

“Yes, I did expect this fight,” Marquez said. “I always said that Mike Alvarado is a strong man and fast and worthy and strong, and I did expect this fight.”

Marquez’s dominance was illustrated by the CompuBox punch statistics. He landed 278 of 627 punches (44 percent) while Alvarado landed 178 of 510 blows (35 percent). More notable, Marquez landed more punches than Alvarado in 11 of the 12 rounds.

Alvarado has now lost two fights in a row. In October, in his hometown, he lost his junior welterweight belt in his first defense, getting knocked down twice by Russian brawler Ruslan Provodnikov — who was ringside Saturday — before retiring on his stool after the 10th round of a punishing fight.

“I put that [Provodnikov] fight behind me,” Alvarado said. “It was another experience and another life lesson I have gone through. It only made me stronger. This fight will only make me better. I will learn from it and use it for the rest of my career.”

One of the reasons Marquez accepted the fight with Alvarado was because it was an eliminator for a welterweight title shot. Marquez has won world titles in four weight classes from featherweight to junior welterweight and wants to be the first Mexican to win titles in five divisions. That would mean a fight with Pacquiao if Marquez wants the title shot next.

“Marquez said he would go back and consult with his team and analyze the fifth fight. That’s a pretty good statement,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Marquez and Pacquiao. “I’m fairly confident I’ll make it. Manny wants the fight. So it’s going to be up to Marquez. It really is. I think there’s a lot of money in the fight. And this was a great fight tonight.

“Mike has the guts of a lion. He stayed in there, he hurt Marquez pretty good but Marquez is Marquez. Marquez is a great fighter.”

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/10949279/juan-manuel-marquez-earns-unanimous-decision-win-mike-alvarado-elimination-bout

El mexicano fue claro vencedor en un combate en el que lució un gran repertorio de combinaciones, que lo llevaron al triunfo.  El triunfo le da Márquez la oportunidad de retar al filipino Pacquiao por el cetro welter de la OMB, sería el quinto duelo entre ambos.  (Fotos:  Mexsports) –

LOS ÁNGELES, 18 de mayo.- En una pelea emocionante  con una caída en cada bando, Juan Manuel Márquez venció contundentemente, por decisión unánime, a Mike Alvarado en el Forum Inglewood, de Los Ángeles, y tiene el camino abierto para una quinta pelea contra Manny Pacquiao por el título welter de la Organización Mundial de Boxeo.

En el combate, que fue denominado eliminatorio para una pelea contra el vigente campeón filipino, Márquez (56-7-1, 40 KO’s) dominó la mayoría de los rounds, conectó los mejores golpes y derribó en el octavo a Alvarado (34-3, 23 KO’s), aunque él cayó a la lona en el noveno round. Al final los jueces favorecieron al mexicano con dos tarjetas de 117-109 y una de 119-108.

Márquez fue a la ofensiva en todo momento y, cuando Alvarado, quien subió al ring con un pantaloncillo con un bandera mexicana y otra estadunidense en cada costado, intentó contragolpear se llevó la peor parte.

Hasta el séptimo round Márquez conectó los mejores impactos, pero no se vislumbraba un potencial nocaut. Fue hasta los segundos finales del octavo que logró una combinación de izquierda y derecha en el rostro que tumbó a Alvarado y lo puso con medio cuerpo por fuera del encordado.

El estadunidense se levantó y el referí Pat Russell indicó que la pelea podía continuar, antes de que pudiera haber más acción se terminó el round y Alvarado fue literalmente salvado por la campana.

Márquez entró más ofensivo en el noveno, tratando de buscar el final de la batalla, pero fue sorprendido con un recto de derecha que lo sentó sobre el ring provocando el conteo del réferi. El mexicano se levantó de ese momento, el único problemático que tuvo, y después ambos bajaron la intensidad de sus ofensivas.

Deja a Pacquiao en suspenso

Tras concluir la pelea, el presentador de Top Rank preguntó a Márquez si aceptaría la quinta pelea contra Pacquiao, a lo que el tricolor no dio una respuesta concreta. “Vamos a descansar relejarnos, vamos a tomar una decisión que será buena para mí, para mi familia y para la afición mexicana”, dijo Márquez.

http://www.excelsior.com.mx/adrenalina/2014/05/18/959916

By Jake Donovan –

The worst thing you can ask a fighter if you are in search of an honest answer is what he plans to do with a win in his upcoming fight. The response most often offered will be that they are focused on nothing other than the fight in front of them, and that all bets are off until the outcome is decided.

That’s why fighters have promoters and managers – so they can plan the next move. When they are in the mood, they can even talk about it as well.

So when Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado insist that the only thing that matters right now is their head-on collision on May 17, we have to respect their response. After all, both fighters are coming off of a loss – Marquez dropping a close but clear decision to Tim Bradley, while Alvarado suffered a heartbreaking stoppage defeat in a Denver homecoming versus Ruslan Provodnikov.

Needless to say, a second straight loss could prove damaging to either boxer. A win, however, immediately puts that fighter back into the title mix. Given what’s at stake in this fight, it’s a hell of a prize to claim to ignore until after the fight.

But at least their promoter is talking.

“Well, I’m not the one fighting,” quipped Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum, whose Top Rank company presents this weekend’s action at The Forum in Los Angeles. “So, the first thing I did was talk to Manny Pacquiao, and he’s up to fight the winner.

“There’s nothing contractual with the winner of the two fighters on Saturday. I will offer the fight to the winner and it’s up to them to accept it or reject it.”

It’s hardly happenchance that such a fight is being offered for this weekend’s winner. In addition to promoting all three fighters, Arum secured sanctioning for the fight – which takes place at a contracted maximum weight of 144 lb. – to serve as an official title eliminator for the right to challenge for Pacquiao’s belt.

Pacquiao reclaimed his place among the best welterweights in the world with a convincing 12-round points win over Timothy Bradley Jr. last month in Las Vegas. The win avenged a highly controversial defeat suffered nearly two years prior, though the Filipino southpaw was later forced to overcome a far more damaging blow to his career when Marquez knocked him out cold in their 6th round of their Dec. ’12 war, which was honored as Fight of the Year.

Alvarado is new to the mix, having yet to fight any of the aforementioned welterweights. Marquez and Pacquiao, on the other hand, have one of the longest running rivalries in the sport’s history. Dating back to their first fight just over ten years ago, there has been little to separate the two in each of their four encounters, with the exception of Marquez’ conclusive knockout ending in their last fight.

Fans have forever disputed the outcomes of each of their previous three encounters, in which they fought to a draw, followed by two close, controversial decisions narrowly won by Pacquiao.

Marquez spent most of those years chasing one more fight with Pacquiao to settle the score, which he was finally able to do last time around. He had even reached a point in his career where he saw little reason to continue if a fifth fight with one of the two biggest superstars in the sport couldn’t be made.

Yet through it all, May 17 is all that matters if you ask the future Hall of Famer.

“All I’m thinking is first things first and that’s May 17,” Marquez (55-7-1, 40KO) insists. “After I win this Saturday, if (a 5th fight) with Pacquiao is there, it’s there. I just want to have this fight on Saturday and it goes from there.”

His opponent was a little more forthcoming in at least acknowledging what awaits the winner.

“This is a huge opportunity. We’re both coming off of losses, but this fight is going to lead to a bigger fight,” Alvarado (34-2, 23KO) said of the reward that will come with Saturday’s bout. “It means a lot to both of our careers. It helps motivate me to train that much harder, knowing that I’m in a category with the best of the world.

“I’m happy, I’m excited and I’m ready for this show to begin this weekend.”

Alvarado has every reason to be anxious to move on to his next fight. The Colorado boxer has lost two of his last three contests, with both losses coming in brutal slugfests. His first defeat – a 7th round stoppage versus Brandon Rios in their Oct. ’12 war – was avenged five months later, but fell into the same kind of trouble against Provodnikov last October.

Worse than the actual loss itself, Alvarado’s dramatic decline in the fight coupled with the manner in which the bout developed and ultimately ended raised concerns from those closest to him about his health, including requests of retirement from his loved ones. Alvarado insists such talks have no place in his career at the moment, although he took such feedback in the most uplifting manner.

“They just want to make sure I’m safe, that I’m OK. They are my number-one supporters and as long as I know they’re there for me, I’m OK.”

Being repositioned for a potential title shot despite coming off of a knockout loss let Alvarado know that he has more than just his family in his corner.

“I was surprised,” Alvarado admitted of the chance to fight in a title eliminator. “But it also tells me that Top Rank has my back. I’m ready to step up to the plate and put on a better show. I’m ready to redeem myself and put on a good show. That’s what this weekend is all about.”

As far as Marquez is concerned, this weekend is all about pleasing the fans. Entertainment comes first, with business to be discussed whenever he feels the time to be appropriate.

“This fight will be a war,” Marquez guarantees, about as far into the future as he wishes to predict. “He likes to fight. I like to fight. The people win because the people want to see this type of fight.”

Should Marquez win, the fight those same people – and millions of others – would like to see him take another run at a major title. Including the title he was practically given at 140 lb., Marquez has won belts in four weight classes and – three months shy from his 41st birthday – believes time remains on his side to add to that total.

“Obviously that’s what I want to do – make history by winning a title in five weight classes, something no other Mexican fighter has ever done,” Marquez admits.

With that in mind, how can he NOT help but look ahead of Alvarado and towards the future?

“It’s not difficult for me. I feel right now like I am fully concentrated on Mike Alvarado,” Marquez promises. “Maybe in the future I will have “the most” important fight of my career. But right now, I’m only thinking about Mike Alvarado.”

In the meantime, everyone else is thinking about what will come next.

“Manny has agreed to fight the winner,” Arum reiterates. “I will say that pretty much once we get the terms worked out, it will be a done deal.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/pacquiao-prize-awaits-marquez-alvarado-winner–77789

LONDON – Boxing star Mike Alvarado has vowed to bounce back in style by retiring Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez.

The pair meet this Saturday night, live and exclusive on BoxNation, with Denver’s Alvarado looking to impress following his punishing ten-round stoppage to WBO light-welterweight world champion Ruslan Provodnikov in his previous outing.

The brutal defeat last October came following an impressive string of wins for the exciting Alvarado who had battled his way past a host of top names including Brandon Rios, Mauricio Herrera and Breidis Prescott.

Now, however, the 33-year-old is out to end the glittering career of four-division world champion Marquez as he aims to get back to winning ways.

“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.

“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 a legend,” he said.

Alvarado believes he has grown and matured since the Provodnikov bout, with the pressure of a high-profile comeback against Marquez something he will thrive on.

“When Top Rank called and offered a fight with Marquez I started jumping around – I was so excited because I have the opportunity to get into the ring and retire a Mexican legend.

“I’m great under pressure and I’m going to fight like the ‘Old Mike’ and use my power and my will to beat Marquez. I made a mistake of looking past Ruslan Provodnikov. He jumped on me and got me in a bad situation. He had such an awkward style,” said Alvarado.

“The difference against Marquez will be my power. I am going to train super hard for my biggest fight. I am very excited,” he said.

Pound-for-pound ace Manny Pacquiao impressed in his victory against Tim Bradley last month, with Alvarado aware a win over Marquez will set up some even bigger showdowns in the near future.

The 40-year-old Marquez has seen it all during his star-studded career, having shared the ring with boxing’s best Floyd Mayweather, plus an enthralling four bouts with Pacquiao.

Fighting at The Forum in Inglewood, California, where Marquez established his career, the renowned Mexican counter-puncher is sure that fireworks will be produced when the two all-action fighters go head-to-head this Saturday.

“Alvarado is a very strong fighter who always gets in the ring in great condition and never gives you a break in the ring,” said Marquez. “I need to prepare very well, Alvarado is a great challenge. I am very happy to fight in the place where I started my career.

“Alvarado likes to fight and I like to fight, and the people want to see a great fight and this will be great fight. I like these kinds of challenges. Alvarado is a tremendous fighter but I’ve trained very hard for this fight and feel like I’m just 23 years old, like when I started my career at The Forum,” he said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/mike-alvarado-retiring-legend-going-huge–77805

Los Angeles, Ca.  — (L-R)  Former Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado of Denver,Co. and four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico pose during media day in Los Angeles    for their upcoming 12-round welterweight battle.  
 Promoted by Top Rank® in association with Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing and Tecate, Márquez and Alvarado will collide at The Forum in Inglewood,Ca. on Saturday, May 17 and will be televised live on HBO®. 

http://www.boxingscene.com/photo-marquez-alvarado-side-by-side-media-day–77813

Photos: Chris Farina / Top Rank

Former Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado of Denver,Co works out in Los Angeles for his upcoming 12-round welterweight battle against four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico.

Promoted by Top Rank in association with Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing and Tecate, Márquez and Alvarado will collide at The Forum in Inglewood, Ca. on Saturday, May 17 and will be televised live on HBO®.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/mike-alvarado-workout-244844

Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank –

By Miguel Maravilla –

Four-division world champion and Mexican icon Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez and former world junior welterweight champion “Mile High” Mike Alvarado hosted a news conference Wednesday announcing their 12-round welterweight rumble and the return of boxing to the Forum in Inglewood, California.

Mike Alvarado: “I want to thank Juan Manuel for the opportunity. Retiring a legend is gonna be huge!”

Juan Manuel Marquez: “I need to prepare very well because Alvarado is a strong fighter. It’s a big challenge. I’m very happy to fight in the place where I began my career. On May 17, the fans will see a great fight!”

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/alvarado-marquez-presser-quotes-239997

Photo:  Getty Images/googleimages/-

By Miguel Rivera –

Top Rank’s CEO Bob Arum, and Zanfer Promotions President Fernando Beltran, are discussing the possibility of a fight between Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40KOs) and Mike Alvarado, which is being targeted for May 17th at The Forum in Los Angeles, California. The co-feature would see a lightweight bout between Mikey Garcia and Yuriorkis Gamboa. Marquez lost a twelve round split decision to WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in October, and then a week later Alvarado (34-2, 23KOs) was stopped by Ruslan Provodnikov.

“A few minutes ago I just spoke with Fernando Beltran [who handles Marquez]. Juan Manuel Marquez, maybe he will go against Mike Alvarado. And then the winner? Although not officially, [the winner] would face the winner of the rematch between Pacquiao and Bradley. This is what might happen here. We are thinking about [doing that fight] at the new Forum in Los Angeles,” Arum stated to Carlos Narvaez.

http://www.boxingscene.com/marquez-alvarado-arum-beltran-discussing-5-17–74595

Date:  Saturday, October 19, 2013

Title:  WBO Jr. Welterweight Championship

Location:  1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Denver, Colorado, USA

Promoter:  Top Rank

Supervisor:   John Duggan

Referee:   Tony Weeks

Judges:    Dennis Nelson, Robert Hoyle, Levy Martinez

Results:    Mike Alvarado was retired in the 10th. round; the referee Tony Weeks had stopped the bout during the minute rest period between rounds 10 to 11.   Ruslan Provodnikov beat Mike “Mile High” Alvarado down and forced him to retire after 10 rounds, winning the WBO junior welterweight title.

Denver’s very own homegrown world champion “Mile High” MIKE ALVARADO  continues the hard grind for his Saturday’s fight against RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV. Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) will make the first defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior welterweight title against Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) at the 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo.  This marks the area’s first world championship fight featuring a local fighter since September 15, 2000. Alvarado vs. Provodnikov will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.  It will be the first time HBO has ever televised a fight live from Colorado. http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-alvarado-continues-grind-provodnikov–70676

By Karl Freitag –

WBO jr welterweight world champion “Mile High” Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) and #1 contender Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) just hosted an international media conference call to discuss their HBO-televised showdown on Saturday night in Denver.

Mike Alvarado: “This fight has ‘war’ written all over it…there’s a chance this fight could turn into that. I have a good game plan. I know I’m going to box the way I need to to win this fight, but you never know. This fight could always turn into a crazy war.”

Ruslan Provodnikov: “I am ready for anything. I can also box. I don’t think anybody can run from me and I don’t think he will box as well as he thinks.”

Bob Arum: There’s not much I can say as a promoter. I don’t have to sell this fight. Anyone that knows anything about boxing knows that going in this fight is going to be a candidate for fight of the year. Two great warriors, two guys that entertain the public, you don’t need a sales pitch for this one. https://www.sravni.ru/kredity/moskva/

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/alvarado-provodnikov-ready-for-war-228695

Por Jake Donovan –

Mike Alvarado y Ruslan Provodnikov ya son mencionados frecuentemente cuando se discute sobre las mejores peleas del 2013.

Ahora tendrán la oportunidad de mejorar sus peleas con una pelea entre sí.

Ya se llegó a un acuerdo para la apetecible pelea en las 140 libras, la cual tendrá lugar el 19 de octubre en el 1st Bank Center en el suburbio de Denver, Broomfield, Colorado. La cercanía de la pelea a la ciudad natal de Alvarado de Thornton (aproximadamente a 20 minutos) le da una ventaja geográfica, pero la pelea está lejos de ser una típica contienda.

“Lo mejor de llevar a cabo esta pelea en Denver es que vamos a tener una verdadera pelea,” dijo el vice presidente de Top Rank, Carl Moretti, quien confirmó que la pelea esta en firme. “No vamos con cualquier pelea, vamos con una batalla; una candidata a Pelea del Año.”

La pelea será la primera para ambos luego de que tuvieran candidatas a Pelea del Año por cuentas separadas, las cuales se dieron con solo semanas de diferencia en el pasado marzo.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) pudo vengar la única derrota de su carrera, derrotando a Brandon Ríos en 12 asaltos por decisión unánime a finales de marzo. La pelea fue bastante entretenida, como la anterior cuando Alvarado sufrió una derrota por nocaut en el séptimo en octubre de 2012, en lo que muchos consideraron como la mejor pelea del año.

La secuela con Ríos llegó dos semanas después que Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) probara que merece estar a nivel de campeonato. El fajador ruso llevó al invicto campeón welter Tim Bradley al máximo pero se quedó corto, perdiendo por decisión mayoritaria en 12 asaltos en una inolvidable pelea a mediados de marzo.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/Alvarado-Provodnikov_se_medir_n_el_19_10.php

By Chris Williams: Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO’s) vs. Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO’s) is now a done deal for October 19th at the First Bank Center, in Denver, Colorado, USA. The fight will take place at 140 and they’ll be battling for the WBO light welterweight title.

The fight terms have been agreed on and the fight is now signed. It’s expected that HBO will televise it. Alvarado, 32, needs a big win in this fight to get him in the running for a big money fight against Manny Pacquiao. For some reason, Alvarado’s recent win over Brandon Rios wasn’t enough to get him a career payday against the Filipino fighter. Instead of Alvarado getting the fight, the guy that he just beat, Brandon Rios, is the one getting the fight with Manny. That makes you wonder what Alvarado has to in order to face Pacquiao. A win over Rios should have given him the fight, but Bob Arum of Top Rank has decided to put the loser with Pacquiao. The only way to explain this is that maybe Arum wanted to have Pacquiao face a lesser threat given that he’s coming off a bad knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez and he doesn’t want to take any chances that Pacquiao gets knocked out again or out-pointed like he was in his fight before that.

Provodnikov could spoil Alvarado’s hopes by beating him on October 19th, and you really couldn’t call it an upset if that were to happen because Provodnikov was stopped by Rios last year, and he also was on the verge of losing to Breidis Prescott in November 2011 when Alvarado was able to pull out a 10th round knockout to get the win. Provodnikov came close to beating WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley in his last fight in March. Provodnikov lost the fight by the scores 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113. He knocked Bradley down in the 12th round, and was punishing him all the way up until the final bell.

http://www.boxingnews24.com/2013/07/mike-alvarado-vs-ruslan-provodnikov-a-done-deal-for-october-19th-fight-at-140-lbs/

When it comes time to select the official 2013 Fight of the Year, it’s a good bet that many of the top candidates will come from the first six months. For boxing fans, January through June has been terrific.

It was a tough call to select the fight of the midyear because you really can’t go wrong with either of the top two, but in my view, the rematch between Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios on March 30 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas gets the nod.

In October, they met for the first time, with Rios stopping Alvarado in the seventh round of a sensational battle that was the 2012 Fight of the Year runner-up.

When they signed for the rematch, this time for a vacant interim junior welterweight belt, expectations were sky-high for another classic. And you know what? They delivered — and then some — in yet another incredible action fight that opened the possibility of a second rematch.

This rematch was even a bit better than the first fight. It was an intense brawl with tons of clean punching, ebbs and flows. How this thing went the distance will forever remain a mystery, because the fighters were crushing each other.

In the second round, Alvarado nearly got dropped and was badly hurt by a left jab, of all things. But he rallied, and the fighters finished with a ferocious exchange that was one of the best rounds of the year. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was so enthused that he called it the best round in a fight he had promoted since the all-time epic first round of the Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns middleweight championship fight.

Alvarado-Rios II was a brutal fight. Both men were hurt, but Alvarado, who fought most of the night with a bad cut over his left eye, was able to box just enough to keep Rios off balance and eke out the close rounds to win a tight, but deserved, decision, 115-113, 115-113, 114-113.

Honorable mentions

Timothy Bradley Jr. W12 Ruslan Provodnikov (March 16 at Carson, Calif.): When Bradley, who was coming off his hugely controversial split decision win against Manny Pacquiao, was matched with Provodnikov, the boxing world yawned. Then we saw the fight. Oh. My. Goodness. The action was fierce and constant, and the drama unforgettable. Although Bradley won a unanimous decision — 115-112, 114-113, 114-113 — the fact that he made it to the final bell under the immense and nonstop pressure from Provodnikov made this a spectacle to behold. Provodnikov nearly knocked Bradley out in the first round, dropping him with a well-timed right hand, although referee Pat Russell ruled it a slip, a move that ultimately would cost Provodnikov a draw.

Provodnikov continued to hurt Bradley and had him in huge trouble. He nearly ended the fight again in the second round with another onslaught, but Bradley survived. From the third round on, Bradley was able to collect himself, get back into the fight and begin winning rounds. There was a ton of back-and-forth action, especially late in the sixth, which was absolutely sensational as they simply pounded each other. Provodnikov suffered a bad cut on his left eyelid in the ninth round, and both fighters had taken so much punishment that at various times their trainers, Freddie Roach (Provodnikov) and Joel Diaz (Bradley), threatened to stop the fight. Neither did, setting the stage for a dramatic conclusion.

With Provodnikov seemingly needing a knockout to win, he staggered Bradley with a left hand, hurt him again with a right and sent him to the canvas with a flurry of shots with 15 seconds left in the fight. A dazed Bradley beat Russell’s count, and the fight ended before another punch could be thrown.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/4601/fight-of-midyear-alvarado-rios-ii

By Ryan Burton –

As reported by BoxingScene.com, junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov has agreed to terms to face WBO interim champion Mike Alvarado on October 19th in Denver, Colorado. Provodnikov is very confident that he can hand the Denver native his second professional loss.

“I will have to follow the game plan that my trainer Freddie Roach will set for me.  I think when our styles clash it will be a very exciting fight and an all out war,” Provodnikov predicted.

HBO pushed for the fight to take place the week after the October 12th Juan Manuel Marquez vs Timothy Bradley pay-per-view showdown. On the 19th, the Alvarado-Provodnikov fight would air following the replay of the Marquez-Bradley clash which would give the fight even more exposure. Provodnikov said that he’s very fortunate to be in the position that he is in now.

“I’m very lucky to be where I am now, and I’m glad that HBO is following through with the promises they made.  I think that they will never regret having a fighter with my style on their network, and I want to make sure I will only impress them further with each fight,” Provodnikov told BoxingScene.com.

Win or lose, Provodnikov feels that both fighters will be in a great position after the fight. He thinks that a victory will push him to superstar status in the United States and would have no problem giving Alvarado a rematch.

“I think that if I beat Mike Alvarado it will be a great victory for me because he is a great warrior and a big star in boxing today.  I will become a world champion and achieve having an even bigger fan base here in the United States!

“Becoming a WBO world champion will really mean a lot to me and it has been my goal throughout my career.  But again I think nobody loses from this fight, and we can always fight a rematch!” Provodnikov stated.

http://www.boxingscene.com/provodnikov-beating-alvarado-help-make-me-star–67544

En una pelea que fue una verdadera guerra, por la intensidad que ambos peleadores impusieron en el ring, Brandon “Bam Bam” Ríos noqueó en siete rounds a Mike Alvarado, para conquistar el título latino superligero avalado por la Organización Mundial de Boxeo (OMB), este sábado por la noche en la principal pelea de respaldo de la cartelera que la empresa Top Rank organizó en el Home Depot Center de Carson, California.

Desde que sonó la campana en el primer round, ambos peleadores saltaron al centro del ring con una idea clara en la mente: atropellar. Y así se fueron, brindando a los aficionados una gran emoción porque ambos se fueron con todo, atacando y planteando una pelea en corto en donde ambos se dieron con todo.

Los primeros tres rounds fueron intensos, muy parejos, con ambos peleadores en una clara actitud ofensiva, pero desde el cuarto se empezó a notar un ligero dominio de Alvarado, quien lució mejor peleando en corto.

Alvarado sometió duro a Ríos, quien en varias ocasiones simplemente se puso a reír, mientras su rostro comenzaba a lucir los estragos del golpeo lanzado por su rival. Sin embargo, en el séptimo Ríos echó los restos y su golpeo hizo mucho daño a la humanidad de Alvarado, obligando a la intervención del referee a los 1:57 de ese séptimo asalto.

De esta manera, Ríos se agencia el titulo superligero latino de la OMB, para mejorar su record a 31-0-1, con 23 nocauts, mientras que Alvarado desmejoró a 33-1, con 23 nocauts.

http://www.notifight.com/artman2/publish/Reporte_7/R_os_noque_a_Alvarado_en_Guerra.php

http://www.worldboxingnews.net/2012/08/donaire-v-nishiokarios-v-alvarado.html