By Yuri Tarantin

Vadim Kornilov, manager of WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov, says he is not surprised by the recent news that Juan Manuel Marquez is in serious negotiations to fight Mike Alvarado on May 17th at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

For weeks, Provodnikov has been calling for a fight with Marquez. The Mexican star told several outlets that he doesn't see any reason to face Provodnikov. But now Marquez is heading  in the direction of a fight with Alvarado, who Provodnikov battered and stopped last October.

"I have long heard that Marquez could face Alvarado. And I was not surprised [that he plans to follow through with that fight]. It is clear that Marquez is now looking for an easier option rather than fighting for a world title at 147 pounds, which he tried to tell everyone he was doing in order to justify his refusal to fight with Ruslan," Kornilov said.

"Unfortunately, this is not the same Marquez of the past and he doesn't want to take any risks. As a result, he is more willing to accept a fight with Alvarado, which he is more likely to win, rather than hold a pay-per-view bout against Ruslan, where he would certainly earn a lot more money."

Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru.