Mike Alvarado  has agreed "in principle" to face Juan Manuel Marquez on May 17, the fighter's manager/trainer Henry Delgado and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum informed RingTV.com on Friday.

"The fight is done for us in principle, and we're just talking in monetary terms, so it's about the money," said Delgado. "I just left Mike right now, and he's already been in training for two weeks."

Delgado's assertion comes after Marquez's Mexico-based promoter Fernando Beltran said he intended to cement the deal with Marquez during a conversation Friday.

The probable site for Marquez-Alvarado is The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., which is now owned by Madison Square Garden and recently underwent a $40 million facelift.

"From their standpoint, it is done," said Arum, referring to Alvarado and Delgado. "But Fernando has to finish his talks with Marquez."

A 33-year-old from Denver, Alvarado is 1-2 over the course of his past three fights, all of which happened as a junior welterweight.

Alvarado (34-2, 23 knockouts) was stopped in the seventh round by Brandon Rios in Oct. 2012, won their rematch for the WBO's vacant 140-pound belt by unanimous decision the last March, and was floored twice on the way to being dethroned following an eighth-round knockout loss to Ruslan Provodnikov last October.

"Mike feels embarrassed, so he's going to really be up for this fight. Mike didn't train like he should have for that last fight, and everybody could see that. Mike had nothing in there," said Delgado.

"But this fight, he's taking it very, very seriously. This is a better fight for us, versus having a tuneup, because it's much harder to get up for a tuneup. You're going to see the old Mike Alvarado."

Delgado said Alvarado will benefit from the rise in weight to 147 pounds.

"This is much better for him," said Delgado. "Mike is a big guy. He walks around at around 165 pounds."

A four-division titlewinner who who turns 41 in August, Marquez's ultimate goal is a showdown with the winner of the April 12 rematch between WBO 147-pound beltholder  Tim Bradley and Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez was last in the ring for a split-decision loss to Bradley last October that followed his sixth-round stoppage of Pacquiao in December 2012. Marquez is 1-2-1 against Pacquiao, the loser of a split-decision to Bradley in June 2012.

"I think that Alvarado will be a better fighter at 147 pounds. I think that, certainly, if Marquez wins, that he's the No. 1 guys for the winner of Bradley-Pacquiao," said Arum.

"If Alvarado beats Marquez, then he and Provodnikov are to be considered as the next opponents for Pacquiao or Bradley."