“I am not expecting a war because of the way I have been training and how I’ve seasoned as a professional. I know I am going to stay strong, boxing and focused on my game plan to make the fight go the way I need it to go and not make it a war. But you never know – that one shot could change the fight around,” stated interim WBO jr. welterweight champion Mike Alvarado, who talked about his upcoming showdown this Saturday with the hard-hitting Ruslan Provodnikov. When it comes to his game plan for the fight, Alvarado has no intentions of making the same mistake as Timothy Bradley, who earlier this year had a knock-down, drag-out Fight of the Year slugfest with the Russian brawler that left him dealing with the effects of a serious concussion.
“He fought the wrong fight against Provodnikov and he recovered well from that. He walked in there thinking he was going to be able to walk thru him and that type of fight happens. Every fight is different and that’s how that fight had to end up. I fought in that same venue, same ring and same referee so I knew what he was going through. My fight (with Rios) turned into the same kind of fight so maybe it’s something about that place,” Alvarado explained, reflecting on Bradley’s performance against Provodnikov. “Being in those kinds of fights has made me that much better as a fighter. Being in fights like that has helped me adjust into being a better boxer. Being in wars can take a toll and can catch up to you. It has helped with my training also.”
Judging from Alvarado’s comments, he has no plans of having the same type of experience with Provodnikov that Bradley had, however, if it comes down to it, he’s willing to fight fire with fire in order to keep his title in front of his hometown fans. “Boxing will come in handy and there are other tactics we will use as well. This fight is going to be very interesting. I am going to go in there and use what I worked on for this fight. Boxing is going to definitely be an option, but fighting is a huge option as well. This is a must-see fight and anything can happen,” he added. “I’ve been in these kinds of fights before and I know how they can end up. I am very strong mentally and very strong-willed. I’ve been there before and need to use my will to make the fight go my way. I’m ready to put on a great show and ready to win this fight.”
