Eddie Alvarez is an underdog heading into his world title fight against Rafael Dos Anjos next weekend, but for the Philadelphia-born fighter, he is more than happy to play that role, something he used to overcoming:
“Everybody has weaknesses, everybody has holes,” Alvarez added. “I’m not the thinker in this equation. Mark Henry does all the thinking for me. I’m the performer. I just go out and fight, and Mark has found every hole, every weakness that Rafael has, and he has helped me move in ways that exploit everything that we need to get the win and come home with that gold belt. I’m going to attribute a lot of this to the brains of Mark Henry.”
Just as he has been in each of his past five fights, Alvarez is a betting underdog heading into July 7. Several global sportsbooks have him listed as high as a three-to-one dog. But Alvarez is used to this spot. And really, any other way just wouldn’t feel right.
“There’s always pressure, but pressure is really about me putting the pressure on myself to perform at my peak, so I know how to go out there an do well,” Alvarez said. “It’s really about just going out there and performing like I do everyday in sparring and putting my best out there. When I do that, I beat everyone I fight. I beat champions my whole career.”
