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If you haven't noticed yet, this fall's boxing schedule looks to be pretty stacked, at least on paper. Just a couple days ago it was revealed that Mike Alvarado, fresh off the biggest win of his career in his rematch with Brandon Rios, is going to be added to that schedule with a date with Ruslan Provodnikov on October 19 being all but signed at this point. Provodnikov, of course, is coming off his incredible battle with Tim Bradley that is the likely front-runner for Fight of the Year.
And despite this seeming like a fight that needs no wood thrown on its fire, the confident predictions of victory have already begun. According to RingTV.com, Alvarado's manager, Henry Delgado, already has his mind made up about the result of the upcoming bout. Delgado gave his prediction to The Ring's Lem Satterfield, saying that his fighter will win via seventh or eighth round knockout.
"As you can see, in his last fight, Mike showed that he was more than a slugger. I think that in that last fight, where he banged it out at the beginning, and then, in the end, he picked his shots, he showed that he can do whatever he wants to do.
"Mike's got all the tools, and it's just a matter of what he decides to do. The problem is that he's never made it easy for himself. I would say that that (the Provodnikov fight) is going to end in a seventh or eighth-round knockout."
Do you agree with Alvarado's manager that he has all the tools? Alvarado certainly did show us some boxing ability and discipline that we had not seen from him before, at least not on a consistent basis. But can he replicate that performance? Or will it only be a one-time thing that collapses under the weight and strain of old habits?