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Pen has been put to paper on both sides, and the reported 140-pound bout on April 14 between Mike Alvarado and Mauricio Herrera is official, according to Thompson Boxing. Alvarado vs Herrera will be televised by HBO, as the co-feature to the highly-anticipated lightweight clash between Brandon Rios and Yuriorkis Gamboa.
"Come April 14 there will be two winners: the fans and Mauricio Herrera. We are confident Mauricio is ready for the next level," said promoter Ken Thompson.
Herrera (18-1, 7 KO) emerged a bit in 2011, scoring an upset win over Ruslan Provodnikov and another over Mike Dallas Jr on ESPN Friday Night Fights, with a win over journeyman Cristian Favela sandwiched between those victories.
An August rematch with Provodnikov was canceled due to injury to the Russian, and by the time Herrera climbs into the ring to face Alvarado (32-0, 23 KO), he will have been inactive for 10 months.
But Herrera is focused on the task at hand, and knows what kind of opportunity this is. A chance to fight on a major HBO card doesn't come along often, let alone a chance to take down a hot fighter from a major promotional stable. Alvarado, 31, got his career rolling last year with a 4-0 slate, including wins over Ray Narh and Breidis Prescott on Manny Pacquiao undercards, the latter a thriller that showed the full scale of Alvarado's incredible toughness.
"This fight means everything and I am taking it like it is a world championship because it is designed to take me to the next level," said Herrera, 31. "This is going to be the fight of my life and I will prepare for it."
The fighter from Lake Elsinore, Calif., also knows exactly what he's up against.
"Alvarado is a tough guy, he’s a rugged puncher with a solid chin," he said. "I’ve seen him fight and know what I’m up against. I plan to take control of the fight and perform like never before."