Warrior Mike Alvarado makes a return to the ring this Saturday night, when he will face Saul Corral, 19-6, in Houston, Texas. 35-year-old Alvarado, 34-4(23) has been in a number of punishing wars – see his epics with Brandon Rios, Breidis Prescott and Ruslan Provodnikov – and it is unclear how much he has left.
ASIDE FROM THE BAD RUN OF LUCK ALVARADO HAS HAD INSIDE THE RING – LOSING HIS LAST THREE FIGHTS AND FOUR OF HIS LAST FIVE – THE 35-YEAR-OLD HAS ALSO BATTLED A DRINKING PROBLEM AND WAS, SHORTLY BEFORE HIS RUBBER-MATCH WITH RIOS, ARRESTED FOR GUN POSESSION. CAN ALVARADO PUT ALL THIS BEHIND HIM AND MAKE ONE MORE RUN AT SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT?
THE ODDS ARE AGAINST ALVARADO, WHO TURNS 36 IN JULY, BUT YOU CAN NEVER COUNT OUT A TRUE WARRIOR, AND ALVARADO CERTAINLY IS THAT. CORRAL, A DURABLE MEXICAN WHO HAS BEEN STOPPED JUST ONCE, HAS ONLY EVER BOXED IN MEXICO AND CANADA AND HE HAS NEVER MET ANY FIGHTER APPROACHING ALVARADO’S CLASS. THE FIRST STEP IN ALVARADO’S COMEBACK SHOULD GO WELL ENOUGH.
TRAINING FOR THE FIGHT WITH STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH JON JONV, ALVARADO WILL BE HAVING HIS FIRST FIGHT IN 14 MONTHS, THIS BEING THE DISAPPOINTING THIRD FIGHT WITH RIOS, WHERE ALVARADO WAS STOPPED VIA EARLY CORNER RETIREMENT. IT IS TO BE HOPED ALVARADO IS IN A FAR BETTER PLACE MENTALLY AHEAD OF SATURDAY’S FIGHT.
ALVARADO MIGHT BE CAPABLE OF THRILLING HIS FANS A COUPLE MORE TIMES AND HE MIGHT EVEN GET AS FAR AS CHALLENGING FOR ANOTHER WORLD TITLE BEFORE HE’S DONE. BUT IT’S TOUGH TO SEE THE FORMER INTERIM WBO 140-POUND CHAMP REIGNING AGAIN. ALVARADO’S PEAK CAME IN 2011 TO 2013, WHEN HE WAS BEATING THE LIKES OF PRESCOTT AND, IN THEIR SECOND FIGHT, RIOS. THAT SEEMS A LONG TIME AGO NOW AND IT IS TO BE HOPED ALVARADO IS NOT FOOLING HIMSELF BY ATTEMPTING TO FIGHT AGAIN.
AS TOUGH AND AS BRAVE AS HE IS, ALVARADO COULD BECOME YET ANOTHER FIGHTER WHO NEEDS RESCUING FROM HIMSELF. WE WISH THE SLUGGER FRON DENVER, COLORADO NOTHING BUT GOOD LUCK.