Alvarado: Marquez Was Not as Sharp in Last Few Fights

By CARLOS ARIAS

BELL, CALIF. --- Mike Alvarado said he plans to retire Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez when they meet on Saturday night at The Forum on HBO.

"That will mean everything to me," Alvarado said of retiring the 40-year-old Marquez. "Everything I've worked hard for my whole life, you know, all the hard work that's been instilled in me since I was a kid. It's all coming out right now in these moments. At this moment in my career it means the world to me."

Alvarado said he has seen some chinks in Marquez's armor in his most recent fights.

"His last few fights he wasn't as sharp as he should be," Alvarado said. "He's top heavy and, you know, he's already had his mark in this game. It's time for somebody to carry that torch that he once held. It's my opportunity to exploit that out of him. His age and all his wars and everything that he's been through in his career that's on me to exploit that out if him to make me that much better."

Alvarado said there are things about Marquez's style that he can exploit as well.

"Styles make fights and doing what I need to do and the adjustments I need to make," Alvarado said, "and those hard fights that I've been through help me to adjust and be on top of my game for that adjustment in those types of situations that make me better to overcome all that.

"Even if I don't have as much experience I'm still going to stick to what's going to work and do what I need to do to overcome that. I'm still learning in that ring. I'm still going to learn how he is coming at me and how his experience is going to help me. It's going to be a great learning experience for me as well."

Alvarado said he is bringing back the "old Mike" for this fight.

"You know, what made me who I am and what made me in this boxing game and what made me a world champion," Alvarado said. "What I've been through and all the adversity in my whole career and everything that I have gone through to be at this level, to earn this level and to be in this position and have this opportunity at this level, that's the Alvarado that got me here."

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