Juan Manuel Marquez set up a possible fight with Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight belt after winning a unanimous decision over Mike Alvarado in a title-elimination bout Saturday night at the Forum.
Fighting for the first time since losing a split decision to Timothy Bradley in October, Marquez (56-7-1) sent Alvarado (34-3) nearly out of the ring with a right hand in the eighth round, then recovered when he was knocked down in the ninth.
Two judges scored the fight 117-109 for the 40-year-old Mexican legend and the other had it 119-108.
The win made Marquez the mandatory challenger to Pacquiao, who reclaimed the WBO belt with a unanimous decision over Bradley in April. Marquez knocked Pacquiao out in 2012, his only win in their four fights against each other.
Marquez told HBO's Max Kellerman in the ring that he didn't know right away if he would fight Pacquiao again.
"I don't know at the moment but any decision is going to be good for me, my family and the Mexican fans," Marquez said.
Alvarado, 33, has dropped three of his last four fights. The Colorado native, a cut widening under his left eye, was sent stumbling back by Marquez's hard right in the eighth round.
He slid beneath the bottom rope and to the edge of the canvas.
After the bell someone in Alvarado's corner asked him, "Are you all right? Do you know where you are?"
He was OK enough to drop Marquez with a stiff right in the first minute of the ninth round, leading to a flurry of exchanges between the fighters, each one landing many punches.
In the 11th, he nearly dropped Marquez again with a straight right. Marquez's knees gave out briefly, but he stood up straight without touching the canvas.
Marquez improved to 13-0 at the Forum, fighting there for the first time since 1999.
[SportsNetwork.com]
