By Rene Umanzor
Zanfer Promotions CEO Fernando Beltran is predicting a tough night for his fighter, Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40KOs), when he steps in the ring with Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23KOs) on the 17th of May at the Forum in Los Angeles. They will fight at a catch-weight of 143-pounds.
Alvarado has been stopped in two of his last three fights. He was stopped by Brandon Rios in seven rounds in October 2012, and then got revenge with a twelve round decision over Rios the following March. Last October, Alvarado took a good amount of punishment before being stopped by Ruslan Provodnikov in the tenth.
The winner of this match will receive a direct opportunity to challenge for the WBO welterweight title, which champion Timothy Bradley defends against Manny Pacquiao on April 12th in Las Vegas.
"Juan is a man of great ambition. He wants to make history and win that fifth [divisional] title that's been denied to him, so let's wait and see who will be the champion that he's going to face in the new year, but first Marquez has to beat Alvarado, who is as a dangerous opponent. Anyone who thinks that this is an easy fight is wrong. Mike Alvarado showed what he is capable of against Brandon Rios, and he gave a good fight against Provodnikov. But Juan is a champion, and he has what it takes to go out with hand raised and pursue his fifth title," said Beltran.
Rene Umanzor covers boxing for The Record.
