Marquez-Alvarado winner eyes shot at Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines- When Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado face off against each other this Saturday (Sunday Philippine time), at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., the winner will become the mandatory challenger to Manny Pacquiao’s WBO world welterweight title.

A potential lucrative Pacquiao payday is ahead to whoever comes out victorious, but for Marquez and Alvarado, they only have one thing in mind – not looking past each other and winning their upcoming bout.

“My thinking is first-things-first,” said the 40-year-old Marquez, who knocked Pacquiao out in six rounds in 2012 after being held to a draw and losing two decisions to the Filipino star. “My thoughts right now are on Mike Alvarado.  If I win the fight then I will think about Manny Pacquiao. I will fight the fight on Saturday then go from there.”

The fight’s promoter Bob Arum, who also handles Pacquiao, has cautioned that nothing is set in stone as of yet.

“The first thing I did was talk to Manny and he is up to fight the winner,” said Arum. “I haven’t, and 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 and if I hear that the winner will be interested in fighting Manny in the fall, and 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.”

Both fighters lost their last fight in 2013; Marquez (55-7-1, 40KOs) is coming from a clear split decision defeat in the hands of Timothy Bradley while Alvarado (34-2, 23KOs) was severely punished and stopped by Pacquiao’s former sparring partner, Ruslan Provodnikov in ten rounds. 

“This fight is important for the two fighters because Mike Alvarado lost his last fight and I lost my last fight. He wants to win and I want to win and this fight is a great fight for the two fighters,” said Marquez. “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.  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.”

Marquez was initially offered to fight Provodnikov for the WBO world light welterweight title but Marquez prompted to pick Alvarado instead for a welterweight showdown at a catchweight of 144 pounds. Making history and being the first Mexican to win a world title in a fifth weight division he says, was the deciding factor when he chose his opponent.

Alvarado on the other hand, can’t be overlooked by the Mexican future Hall of Famer. A boxer who can switch styles and bang on the inside, Alvarado is a dangerous fighter in his own right and can spoil his plans. Alvarado has put up a poster of him and Provodnikov in the gym to remind himself of his past mistakes as a fighter, motivate him more and add focus in this upcoming fight.  

“Fight the way I know how to fight and make the right adjustments. Fight smart and be stronger, quicker, bigger and fight my game plan. Don’t let him get the best of me. I need to stay focused in the ring and dominate this fight,” says the 33-year-old underdog, Alvarado when asked what’s the key to beating Marquez. “I need to fight my fight – my pace and my style of fighting.”

Pacquiao is back

Marquez had high remarks for Pacquiao following his victory over Timothy Bradley in April, saying that he feels Pacman is rejuvenated after taking nearly a year off, beating Brandon Rios in November and then avenging the loss to Bradley.

“I saw the best Manny Pacquiao. He wants to beat everybody. I saw the best Pacquiao. Everyone knows that Manny Pacquiao is a great fighter and he is a world champion. Right now Pacquiao is back,” said Marquez. 

“Right now Pacquiao is using his feet very well. He moves in the ring. I saw the best Manny Pacquiao because he landed a lot of punches and was moving on his feet. I liked the way Manny Pacquiao fought very much.” 

Alvarado too says he has recovered from his career-worst performance against Provodnikov.

Alvarado admits that it took him a couple of months to mentally recover from the beat down he received from Provodnikov. Alvarado said he’s now past it, even assuring the fans and the media that he is physically healthy. Not taking Marquez for granted and only has getting his arms raised in mind, Alvarado knows too well that a win over Marquez will open bigger doors and a world of opportunity to him.

“This fight is very important for both of us and a win here will lead to bigger fights. There is a lot involved in this fight, both mentally and for our careers. I am focusing on getting this win. It makes me train that much more, to know that I am in the category with the best in the world and I am happy for this opportunity that I am blessed with. I take it day-by-day and train as hard as I can. I am happy about it and I am excited and I can’t wait for the show to start this weekend.”

JM Siasat is a boxing journalist based in Manila, Philippines. He can be reached at jmsiasat@ymail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JMSiasat