Mobile Home | Desktop Version




Alvarez ready for Folayang

By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 28 Jul 2019


Eddie Alvarez.

Former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez flew in from New York on a PAL flight yesterday morning with manager Lloyd Pierson and declared that he?s ready to rumble against Filipino mixed martial arts legend Eduard Folayang at ONE: Dawn of Heroes in the MOA Arena on Aug. 2.

?I realize Folayang has the hometown advantage and the crowd will be loud backing him up,? said Alvarez. ?But to me, fighting is about taking advantage of your opponent?s mistakes. If Folayang comes in tentative, he?ll pay for it. If he comes in too aggressive, he?ll pay for it, too. This is my first time to fight in the Philippines and I?m excited. My striking coach Mark Henry and my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach Ricardo Almeida are arriving in a few days to work my corner. I respect Folayang a lot but I?m here to win.?

Alvarez, 35, enters the octagon with tons of experience. His record is 29-7, with 16 KOs, seven submissions and six decisions. One of his losses was to Conor McGregor on a second round knockout before 20,427 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 2016. The gate receipts of $17.7 Million set a record for an MMA event and the attendance was the highest for a domestic show at the Garden.

?My fight against McGregor was crazy,? said Alvarez who is of Puerto Rican and Irish descent. ?The weigh-in was supposed to be free to the public but because of the huge public interest, they ended up charging $20 for a ticket and we had a crowd of over 15,000. The fight itself was sold out and tickets went for up to $30,000 each.?

Alvarez said he succeeded in getting under McGregor?s skin during a press conference. ?He kept talking about money but I noticed his mink coat still had a price tag so I asked if he stole it,? said Alvarez. ?I also told him it?s not right for him to get welfare. McGregor collected a welfare check from the Irish government a few days before booking a flight to Stockholm for a fight. Welfare is supposed to be for women with no jobs or men who can?t work. McGregor doesn?t deserve a welfare check.?

But Alvarez failed to bring down McGregor who was Floyd Mayweather?s last victim. ?It was a bad night,? he said. ?I got hit and never recovered from it. But I went home with about $2 Million. Will we do a rematch? I?m all for it but I doubt if it will ever happen.?

Alvarez said Asian fight fans are the best in the world. ?They?re knowledgeable,? he said. ?They respect the sport. I?ve fought seven fights in Japan and it?s an honor fighting in front of Japanese fans who appreciate MMA. They?re not idiots who get drunk and watch the fights to party. I?m expecting a similar reaction from Filipino fans.?

Alvarez said he learned how to box when he was eight in Kensington, a drug-infested neighborhood in Philadelphia where the crime rate is 83 percent higher than the national average in the US. ?That?s where they filmed the Rocky movies,? he said. ?People walk around in the streets doing nothing. I fought in the streets. It?s a tough place to live in. I got out when I was 21 and now I live in Roseboro in northeast Pennsylvania with my wife and our four kids, including three boys. Our oldest is 14 and our youngest, a girl, is four.?

Alvarez said he never went to college. ?I finished high school (Northeast Catholic in Philadelphia) then I started fighting as a professional,? he said. ?But I read a lot. I?m street-smart.? His manager Pierson said Alvarez is the only fighter he knows who trades in stocks and bonds. Alvarez turned pro in 2003 and made his UFC debut in 2014. In 2016, he halted Rafael dos Anjos at 3:49 of the first round to capture the UFC lightweight belt in Las Vegas. Alvarez surrendered the crown on his first defense to McGregor. He?s coming off back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Timofey Nastyukhin, both by stoppage and hopes to return on the winning track at Folayang?s expense.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.

Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Press Conference Notes: Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson & Seniesa Estrada-Yokasta Valle Doubleheader Set for Friday
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • WEIGHTS FROM BIG TIME BOXING USA IN DETROIT
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Undefeated Super Featherweight Contender Andres Cortes to Attend Oscar Valdez vs. Liam Wilson Fight Eyes Potential Showdown with Winner
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • PACE to host FIDE chess tilt this weekend
    By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Preserving a Legacy: The Birth of the Philippine Boxing Historical Society
    By Dong Secuya, Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Garcia vs Haney: Boxing Match or A Live Mental Break Down?
    By Ralph Rimpell, Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Christian Mbilli-Mark Heffron Super Middleweight Main Event & Arslanbek Makhmudov-Junior Fa Heavyweight Battle Set for May 25 at Gervais Auto Center in Shawinigan, Canada
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • MATÍAS MAKES HOMECOMING DEFENSE AGAINST PARO ON JUNE 15
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • ‘ROCKY’ HERNANDEZ RETURNS AGAINST LUGO IN MEXICO ON MAY 11
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • PCAP: Cavite eyeing to bounce back
    By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • HALL OF FAMER ANN WOLFE TO ATTEND 2024 HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024
  • Gathering of champions
    By Joaquin Henson, Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Filipinos AJ Paciones and Ador Torres Make Weight for Title Fights in Highland Boxing Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Visiting Teams All Won vs Hosts; Boston Finally Loses
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, Wed, 27 Mar 2024
  • Lukas to face undefeated Jaiklom on March 30 in Bangkok
    By Lito delos Reyes, Wed, 27 Mar 2024