HBO wants Mike Alvarado vs Ruslan Provodnikov fight for October

According to a report at BoxingScene.com -- and also according to common sense -- HBO is very interested in a possible October 19 fight between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov, which on paper would be a phenomenal action bout.

Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO) last fought on March 30, beating Brandon Rios in an epic rematch, while Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO) nearly upset Timothy Bradley on March 16. Both fighters are known for bringing plenty of hard-hitting action, and would sort of be going from the frying pan into the fire in terms of the physicality expected from a fight against one another.

If the fight is made and lands on October 19, it would be paired with the Bradley-Marquez PPV replay from the weekend before, giving it a likely solid bump in viewers. Alvarado has stated he'd like to return home to Denver for his next fight, and given that Provodnikov doesn't have a local audience anywhere and is more or less fearless, this would be a great fight to bring to the city.