Did Marquez Duck Provodnikov?

[Rantcatrat]

There are a lot of JMM fans on this forum (as am I). Can someone explain whether JMM decided to face Alvarado instead of Provo?

[walrus]

There are a lot of JMM fans on this forum (as am I). Can someone explain whether JMM decided to face Alvarado instead of Provo?

Probably because prod might kill him. I'm a big Alvarado fan and happy to see him in a big fight but it is a strange match up.

[Beanflicker]

I don't know, after losing to Bradley maybe he wanted an easier comeback fight? Who knows. I'm not going to challenge JMM's guts though, he went to war with better fighters than Provodnikov.

[walrus]

I don't know, after losing to Bradley maybe he wanted an easier comeback fight? Who knows. I'm not going to challenge JMM's guts though, he went to war with better fighters than Provodnikov.

I agree, it's a comeback fight. JMM has not shied away from top opponents. It will be interesting to see how JMM performs in this fight.

[FinitoElDinamita]

Absolutely not.. It was a power move towards legacy, a business decision..

Marquez already explained why he chose Alvarado over Prov and it makes perfect sense..

Tha Boxing Voice

[Beanflicker]

Absolutely not.. It was a power move towards legacy, a business decision..

Marquez already explained why he chose Alvarado over Prov and it makes perfect sense..

Tha Boxing Voice

I'm satisfied with that answer, how about you guys?

[J_Undisputed]

For his sake, I hope he did. I know he's a masterful boxer and a proud fighter. Still we're not talking about another blown up feather/lightweight. This is like when jones went up to heavyweight. There are the guys you can challenge yourself to compensate for the physical disparities with skill and other there are other guys, that aren't a challenge, they're a death wish if you get the wrong ref, the wrong night, the wrong crowd. That's why bradley was a good match, close in size, not overly powerful, has some flaws that could be exploited. You get it wrong and you get slapped/ butted for the rest of the fight. Not that marquez couldn't outbox provo... but the bigger the disparity between fighters, the more success relies on fighting the perfect fight. Slip just once and you could walk away with a permanent injury.

Obviously for someone like jones, every heavyweight packs a punch, but at least ruiz wasnt known for his knockout wins as much as his knockout loss and his rather boring style. In that respect, it was a reasonable jump in weight. Haye vs. Valuev was an unusual case and side show that sold based on just size, but Haye knew valuev wasn't a huge puncher and he was beyond slow. Good thing for haye, holding and punching is illegal in boxing.

[Rantcatrat]

Absolutely not.. It was a power move towards legacy, a business decision..

Marquez already explained why he chose Alvarado over Prov and it makes perfect sense..

Tha Boxing Voice

What does a win over Alvarado do for him to get a fifth title? Maybe he was hoping Bradley won and he'd face Bradley again, but still I don't see how Alvarado plays into it. He doesn't want to fight Pacquiao again and Pacquiao has the belt, right?

[Beanflicker]

Even if he did duck Provodnikov, the way I see it is the guy's in his 40s, he's nearing the end of his rope, let him have an easier fight. Let him get a cheap win and set himself up for a bigger fight, be it with Pacquiao or someone else.

When a guy has spent a full career fighting absolute killers and overcoming huge obstacles, he deserves the benefit of the doubt every once and awhile.

[Master]

He probably took a safer route and hope it does not back fire. I think a fully motivated JMM counters Prov but why take the risk against the mad man attacks. JMM is saving himself for Manny Pac.

[Spicoli]

Nah, Marquez doesn't speak duck. Now if he agreed to a fight, shared co features with the understanding a showdown was looming and then suddenly went out of his way to avoid said showdown..all the while insulting and proclaiming his superiority but walking the other direction...now I could see how that might be a duck

Marquez wants to rebuild for one last run and have as many pluses on his side. Alvarado being battle worn but a complimentary style rather than a fresher, stronger, harder complimentary style in Provo is key too. Of course. Its a literal return to his roots and venue of La Forum...a homecoming of sorts with the very real lead in to yet another clash with Provos recent 'boss'...Manny.

[chris6878]

JMM is saving himself for Manny Pac.

oh god please no

[Ron Swanson]

Nah, Marquez doesn't speak duck. Now if he agreed to a fight, shared co features with the understanding a showdown was looming and then suddenly went out of his way to avoid said showdown..all the while insulting and proclaiming his superiority but walking the other direction...now I could see how that might be a duck

Marquez wants to rebuild for one last run and have as many pluses on his side. Alvarado being battle worn but a complimentary style rather than a fresher, stronger, harder complimentary style in Provo is key too. Of course. Its a literal return to his roots and venue of La Forum...a homecoming of sorts with the very real lead in to yet another clash with Provos recent 'boss'...Manny.

Right here is why I loathe the word duck in boxing. The reasoning is completely subjective. I don't in the least think Marquez ducked Provo but he took less money to fight another guy. Or in another term a smaller prize. You say he didn't duck as well. But you suggest Adonis did duck even though Adonis got paid twice as much for an easy fight as HBO was offering for the future "big" fight. Or in other terms he got twice as big a prize.

So the suggestion is in a prizefight if you refuse a larger prize and accept a smaller prize but you're X it's not a duck. And if you refuse a small prize for a prize TWICE as large but you're Y it's a duck.

It makes it difficult to read boxing boards when people refuse to look at the stuff honestly.(vague comment not intended to attack the quoted poster but speaking in general) There are so many factors going into taking a fight that almost always lead to the highest probability of making the most money. Some might include short term loses, some include selling out immediately. Sometimes you don't take a hard fight because you're good and you slow play it. Sometimes you take hard fights because you know you have a short shelf life. Almost every path leads to the most money in their particular plan though and this duck word is simply false drama and a distraction from what's really happening.

How refreshing would it be to hear a fighter say "I think I can beat X but for only a little less money I'm sure I csn beat Y and that leads to Z who is who I really want to fight" verses "well X has no fanbase" "X can't speak to me like an opponent" yadda yaadda yadda. I'd like to get some frickin truth from somebody. Then we would know their genuine intentions. Does anyone really believe what a fighter says? Or do you then cross reference it in your head with what you know? And if fans reflecting on a sport can't even speak honestly we'll never get truth from the participants.

[Ant Live]

Yes

[Rantcatrat]

I don't like the word "duck" either @Ron Swanson . I agree with you there. I shouldn't have used it. I'm sure Marquez would fight anyone. He's a warrior. Same with Adonis Stevenson. It's more accurate to say that Marquez decided to go an easier route for less money so that there was less risk of losing and he could maintain the prospect of another financially lucrative fight in the future.

On the other hand, we're boxing fans. I don't follow Stevenson and Marquez to admire their financial savvy. I watch boxing to see good fights with compelling story lines. I want to see the best fight the best.

Stevenson and Marquez avoided facing other boxers, whether it was a smart business decision or not, we aren't seeing them face the best. Surely, they benefit, but do boxing fans?

With Stevenson, it's a bit different too, because Stevenson-Kovalev was the fight to make at 175. At the end of 2013, when Fat Dan Rafael and the like were putting their lists of must-see fights for 2014, Stevenson-Kovalev topped the list. No one was really clamoring to see a Marquez-Provodnikov.