By Jason Peck: This was no hors d’oeuvres before the main course, no sneak peeks trailers before the big blockbuster movie, no author intro before the great novel. The battle between Breidis Prescott and Mike Alvarado was to merely occupy space on a PPV broadcast, much like the singing of the national anthem. Years from now fans will only remember “that undercard,” something existing only in relation to Pacquiao and Marquez.
Fans ignore undercards; only the main event gets the publicity. Maybe that’s why virtually no undercard has ever scored “Fight of the Year” honors, despite often matching or even outshining the main event. Why? Are they ineligible or something? Pacquiao and Marquez threw a helluva show, and hats off to them. But Prescott-Alvarado stands by itself as a quality fight fully deserving of the accolades it certainly won’t get.
I didn’t expect much in the early going. Prescott roared to life early on, drawing so much blood from Alvarado that it covered the faces of both men. He was like a shark – every time he saw blood, he wanted more. In the 4th he unleashed such a furious assault that for a moment he looked like what Prescott was supposed to be – the savage warrior who bested future champ Amir Khan in seconds flat, the hands-of-stone banger who Khan’s fans claimed could KO any lightweight (and not just Khan).
I expected a stoppage by way of doctor’s orders at any moment. But Prescott spent so much time bloodying the face of Alvarado that I scarcely noticed the damage done to Prescott himself. Alvarado soon turned things around in a big way.
Mark my words – Alvarado late-round dominance cannot be charged to skill or a rope-a-dope-style tactical plan. He did not get a “second wind” per say. I can only chalk Alvarado’s mid-fight comeback to Pure Balls – the kind that old-school fighters showed when they refused to go down without their opponent looking ugly the next day, fueled by a complete disregard for the apparent hopelessness of their situation.
They traded leather furiously. The fans in the bar – about a mere dozen or so – stood to their feet. Now Alvarado threw the bombs like Prescott, and a furious exchange ensured. A highlight reel couldn’t cover all the amazing shots being thrown and landed.
Finally Alvarado emerged as the stronger man. Prescott’s wounds were evident. He could not withstand the punishment being dealt. With a minute left to go in the fight, Alvarado finally forced the stoppage, forever saving Khan from ever having to make an excuse for not fighting Prescott again. Khan should give Alvarado a title shot out of gratitude, or at least by him something nice.
For the time being, we can count Prescott out of the title picture, unless major changes are made to his game plan. Previous Prescott conquerors like Kevin Mitchell and Miguel Vasquez earned title shots for their victory, and Alvarado likely has one in his near future. Whether he can succeed against Khan or WBO champ Timothy Bradley remains to be seen. Personally I’m still not sold on him quite yet, seeing as Prescott is still the biggest notch in his belt by a long shot.
But there it is. Both Prescott and Alvarado threw an amazing fight that would have made headlines had it happened between two more popular fighters. I hope the real fans will give credit where it’s due.