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The Forum was once the home to regular boxing cards, big and small, and now with the venue renovated and back in action, big-time boxing is headed back to the arena in Inglewood, Calif., as Juan Manuel Marquez will face Mike Alvarado in an HBO main event on May 17.
The winner of the Marquez-Alvarado fight is slated to face the winner of April 12's Pacquiao-Bradley II rematch. Tickets for Marquez-Alvarado go on sale on Tuesday, April 1. Here's the info:
Promoted by Top Rank® in association with Zanfer Promotions, Márquez Boxing and Tecate, tickets to Márquez vs. Alvarado will go on sale Tuesday, April 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET / Noon PT. Priced at $400, $250, $150, $75 and $35, tickets can be purchased at the Forum box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (800-745-3000), and online at www.ticketmaster.com or www.fabulousforum.com. And to celebrate boxing's return to the Forum, any $150 or $75 ticket, purchased at the box office or via Ticketmaster on April 1, between Noon and 4:00 p.m. PT, will include a complimentary companion ticket to the inaugural brawl. Limit six (6) tickets per order.
Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KO) is coming off of a 12-round decision loss to Timothy Bradley in October, but the 40-year-old Mexican legend is still going strong, and looking to put himself right back into one of the "mega-events" by the end of 2014.
After eight fights in Mexico in 1993-94 to start his career, Marquez went north and became a regular at what was then known as the Great Western Forum, going 12-0 overall at the building, last fighting there in 1999.
"The opportunity to go back and fight at the Forum where I developed as a professional fighter was too great to pass up," said Marquez. "I expect a tough fight against Mike Alvarado and one that the fans will truly enjoy."
Alvarado (34-2, 23 KO) is also coming off of a loss, as he was beaten down by Ruslan Provodnikov a week after Marquez's loss to Bradley, but he's got a chance to reach new heights for his career with a win in this bout.
"I am so excited. We have been training already for four weeks. Marquez has always been on our radar and he is the one I always wanted to fight," said Alvarado. "This fight is my redemption to all of my fans. I know how important this fight is. What a fight with such a reward - to fight the winner of Pacquiao vs Bradley. This is an incredible opportunity. I will be fully prepared to fight Marquez on May 17."