Juan Manuel Marquez, 40, didn’t stay on his feet the during the whole welterweight title bout, which went the distance into the later rounds. However, Juan was able to get back up and fight his way to victory over the much younger Mike Alvarado, 33.
Juan had to survive a knockdown in the ninth round and that’s now made him the mandatory challenger for Manny Pacquiao’s throne. If you can remember, Manny regained his welterweight world title by crushing Timothy Bradley Jr. in their April 12 rematch.
“I said it was going to be a tough fight and I said it was going to be a difficult fight,” Juan said after the big victory. “I wanted to give the public here a gift — a gift that dignifies the history of this event and the history of the Forum.”
Take Our PollThe judges scored this match: 119-109, 117-109, 117-109 for Juan and ESPN.com also had the 40-year-old vet at 117-109 over Mike. Mike faltered slightly in the eighth round and that’s what lead to his drop in the scoring.
The win was made even sweeter for Juan because it took place at the Forum, where, as an unknown, he developed as one of the top featherweight contenders on the boxing scene.
Juan eventually wound up going 12-0 with nine knockouts in the arena between 1995 and 1999!
What do you think HollywoodLifers, do you think Mike has the power and speed to take on Manny, or do you think he needs a few more wins under his belt? Tell us what you think.
— Bryant Perkins
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