Despite hitting the canvas in the 9th round, Juan Manuel Marquez put in a dominating performance against Mike Alvarado at The Forum, California. The future Hall of Famer won a Unanimous Decision following scores of 119-109, 117-109, 117-109, which took into account a knockdown of his own in the 8th round.
Marquez may now be 40, but he proved he’s still a strong, tactical force to be reckoned with – quite a feat considering not only his age but the history of wars he’s clocked up. The veteran showcased his class against boxer-slugger Alvarado, outlanding with the jab, and getting off some tasty head-to-body combination-counters.
On May 17th, 2014, Marquez fought with his textbook technician style throughout. The contest was a slow burner in the early stages, but livened up in the second half when Alvarado turned up the aggression and encouraged big exchanges; Alvarado’s left eye was testament to who landed the cleaner blows.
Alvarado may have been the evident loser of the matchup, but he certainly had moments of success; his own hard shots found the target on Marquez, and may have hurt him a few times. Though a mile behind on the scorecards, he also showed his fortitude by scoring a knockdown in the 9th round courtesy of a chopping right-hand.
Alvarado wasn’t in Marquez’s league in terms of skill, but he’s no chump by any stretch. He also did well to recover from the 8th round knockdown – a peach of a Marquez straight right-hand that knocked him across the ring, under the ropes and almost into a band of photographers. (Marquez vs Alvarado Boxing Highlights)
There’s perhaps a case to be made about a decline in Alvarado recently. His violent wars with Brandon Rios, not to mention a brutal affair with Ruslan Provodnikov, may have taken something out of the Denver-born fighter.
Life and death fights such as these are notorious for shortening careers. Still, it may be too soon to tell if this is the case – perhaps an elite opponent such as Marquez was always going to outwit and outland Alvarado?
The victory now bulks the record of Mexican legend Marquez to 56 wins, 7 losses, 1 draw, 41 knockouts, while Alvarado’s drops to 34 wins, 3 losses, 23 knockouts.
Marquez vs Alvarado Aftermath & Undercard
Given Marquez’s impressive, entertaining performance, big fights will remain in reach as long as his aging body can deliver the goods. As for Alvarado, the loss will incur a setback, but given his late rally and knockdown, he may find himself back in the ring with a big name soon – dare we say with Brandon Rios? If Alvarado is looking to make big bucks, this is a fight – albeit a hazardous one – that would appeal to fans.
On the night’s undercard, Junior Welterweight Viktor Postol scored a TKO against Selcuk Aydin, coming at the 2:52 mark of the 11th round. The highly regarded unbeaten 140 pounder, who boasts 26 wins, 11 knockouts, may soon be challenging a top fighter for a piece of the world title.
Also, Diego Magdaleno, now carrying 26 wins, 11 knockouts, 1 loss, won a Unanimous Decision in his Lightweight bout with Oscar Bravo, receiving wide margin scores of 80-71, 79-72, 80-71.
What did you think of Marquez vs Alvarado? Where did this rank on Juan Manuel Marquez’s best performances of late? How long does he have left in the sport, and is there anything left for him to prove now that he has conquered Manny Pacquiao? Also, how does he compare against Mexico’s greatest fighters?
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