Promoter Arum says Marquez-Alvarado fight at the Forum is close
Boxing promoter Bob Arum said he’s in the final stages of making a May 17 welterweight bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Alvarado at the Forum in Inglewood.
En route to winning world titles in four different weight classes, Marquez, 40, fought at the former Great Western Forum 12 times between 1995 and ’99.
Arum told The Times that Marquez’s Mexico-based promoter, Fernando Beltran, is “going to try to wrap that up with Marquez Monday in Mexico City.”
Marquez (55-7-1, 40 knockouts) mentioned retirement after losing a narrow split
decision to World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Timothy Bradley in
October in Las Vegas.
By fighting a return bout against former WBO light-welterweight title challenger Alvarado (34-3, 23 KOs), Marquez has received signals from promoters that he would then have a shot at the winner of the April 12 Bradley-Manny Pacquiao bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
A victory in such a matchup would give Marquez a Mexican-record fifth different world title.
Arum said that Pacquiao had agreed to a fifth fight with Marquez should he beat Bradley. In December 2012, Marquez knocked out Pacquiao in the sixth round, and he’s maintained since that he’d like to end that rivalry with that sweet memory.
Bradley has not been asked about the Marquez rematch, Arum said.
Alvarado was beaten badly in an October loss to Ruslan Provodnikov, a third consecutive brawl for the Denver fighter after exchanging wins with Oxnard’s Brandon Rios.
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Twitter: @latimespugmire
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