The Denver, Colorado native, Mike Alvarado was quoted in early July saying, “My last 4 fights been fight of the year candidates.” Boxing fans will be saying his last five fights have been fight of the year candidates after Alvarado imposes his will on the Russian Rocky. Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov will battle it out for the light welterweight title on October 19th at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on HBO.
Tickets went on sale last Friday with Tickethorse.com, ranging from $25 up to $200 (floor seats). Boxing fans will not find a better bang for their buck for the type of fight this has the potential to be. Considering nosebleed seats for a typical Mayweather card cost a couple hundred dollars and even $600 for the upcoming September 14th fight against Canelo Alvarez; it makes this a no brainier when $25 gets you a ticket for this one and it would be a decent seat at this venue. If you are living on the front range of Colorado, and have the slightest interest in boxing, you would be crazy not to try and see this fight live. If you have not been to Colorado in the fall, this would be a perfect time to come and enjoy downtown Denver and a great sporting event.
My prediction for the fight will be a UD for Alvarado or a late round TKO. The two fighters have one tough opponent in common, Mauricio Herrera. Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO’s) beat Herrera by UD in April, 2012 in a very tough fight while Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO’s) lost to Herrera by UD in January, 2011 for his first loss. Provodnikov’s second loss came at the hands of superstar Timothy Bradley in March, 2013 in an impressive performance that many including myself thought could have went either way. Even in the loss, that fight has catapulted the Russian into the spotlight again for what might be the most important fight of his career.
For Alvarado, another win could mean a multimillion dollar fight against a number of fighters, to include a third fight with Brandon Rios who Alvarado beat by UD in March, 2013, in a fight that is already a fight of the year candidate; other names such as Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, and Juan Manuel Marquez are also out there for Alvarado.
This fall looks to be a great few months of boxing. To mention a few: with Mayweather vs. Alvarez in September (Matthysse vs. Garcia on the undercard!), Alvarado vs. Provodnikov in October, and Rios vs. Pacquiao in November, we are set to have several boxing treats to look forward to. But if you want to see a live event for an amazing price, go now to TicketHorse.com for fight tickets and then book a room at Hotels.com in Denver, Colorado.