This weekend sees the return to the ring of former Nicaraguan great Rosendo Alvarez (37-3-2, 24) who at 42 years old is going to be fighting for the first time in over 6 years and a weight much, much higher than he has ever fought at before.

Alvarez first fought back in 1992 where he scored a 3rd round TKO over Pablo Torres and within 3 years he had picked up the WBA World Minimumweight title by defeating Thai Chana Porpaoin. Alvarez would run up 4 defences of his title between 1995 and 1998 before facing the amazing Ricardo “Finito” Lopez in a WBA/WBC unification bout. In that bout Alvarez dropped the Mexican great in the second round before Lopez fought back and scraped a lucky draw.

8 months on from their first bout Alvarez would again face Lopez. Sadly for Alvarez he was unable to make the 105lbs Minimumweight limit and was stripped of the WBA title on the scales, he was then controversially defeated by Lopez suffering the first loss of his career up to that point.

Alvarez would string together 3 wins (including one over Tomas Rojas, who would later go on to win the WBC Super Flyweight title) before being disqualified in a bout against Beibis Mendoza in a bout for the WBA World Light Flyweight title. In a rematch against Mendoza Alvarez managed to scrape a controversial split decision to win the title and become a 2-weight world champion. Alvarez would defend his Light Flyweight title 3 times, including a draw in an IBF unification bout Jose Victor Burgos.

Again weight problems would plague Alvarez who would lose his Light Flyweight title on the scales prior to a 4th bout with Beibis Mendoza in 2004. Soon afterwards Alvarez moved up again and in 2006 he faced Mexican warrior Jorge Arce in a bout for the WBC Super Flyweight title. Against Arce Alvarez was stopped for the first (and so far only) time in his career.

This coming Saturday Alvarez is returning to the ring for the first time since losing to Arce to face Alvaro Perez (21-4-1, 12) in a bout signed at the 122lbs Super Bantamweight limit. Quite what Alvarez is expecting to achieve from this is a mystery though we hope it will just be a one off for one of Nicaragua's greatest ever fighters.