Juan manuel marquez vs mike alvarado

INGLEWOOD, California - Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico won a clear unanimous decision over Mike Alvarado on Saturday night, dominating in his return to the Forum ring for its first boxing card in 13 years.

Marquez (56-7-1) dismantled Alvarado with 12 rounds of technical brilliance and vicious power, knocking down Alvarado in the eighth round and bouncing back from his own ninth-round knockdown to finish strong. Marquez staggered Alvarado right before the final bell, punctuating another for the 40-year-old four-division champion.

The welterweight win likely sets up Marquez for a fifth fight with Manny Pacquiao later this year.

Alvarado (34-3) never got rolling in his second straight defeat, struggling to land any major shots beyond the right that sent Marquez to the canvas.

Judges Max DeLuca and Julie Lederman scored it 117-109 for Marquez, and Robert Byrd favored him 119-108. The Associated Press also scored it 117-109 for Marquez, giving him 10 of the 12 rounds.

Marquez impro

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Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado Results: Twitter Reaction and Recap

Juan Manuel Marquez held off a late rush by Mike Alvarado to earn the 56th win of his professional career on Saturday night in Inglewood, California.

The judges scored it 117-109, 117-109, 119-108, per HBO Boxing:

Bryan Armen Graham illustrated how much of an ageless wonder Marquez has become:

Marquez said after the fight that he doesn't pay attention to his age:

Alvarado was gracious in defeat:

Marquez dominated the early rounds. Up until the ninth round, he showed almost no vulnerability. Douglass Fischer of RingTV.com was impressed with the way that Marquez toed the line between scientific and aggressive:

Boxing writer David Greisman described Dinamita as "beautiful":

In the eighth round, Marquez sent Alvarado to the canvas with a wicked right hand. Alvarado was so woozy after the blow that when he returned to his feet, he started for the wrong corner, per Yahoo Sports&

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Marquez vs. Alvarado Results: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

"Dinamita" Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1) won a hard-fought unanimous decision over "Mile High" slang för mikrofon Alvarado (34-3) on Saturday at The Forum in Los Angeles.

The bout featured knockdowns, cuts and tons of action. This was good boxing.

ESPN's Dan Rafael had the final scorecards.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The boxing and sports community applauded both fighter's efforts.

Asked what he expected from this bout, per Top Rank Boxing's Twitter konto, Marquez knew a war was coming.

In the first three rounds, Marquez slowly built momentum. He seemed to be trying to capture Alvarado's timing. Alvarado had a solid first round, but Marquez took the second and third with accurate counter punching.

In rounds 4-6, Marquez began to dominate. He routinely beat Alvarado to the punch, slipped his jab and countered with sizzling combinations.

In the seventh, Marquez continued to