Country boys
Chavez-Canelo bout for Mexico, legacy
JULIO Cesar Chavez Jr. has passed the toughest part of his pay-perview fight with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Saturday night in Las Vegas. He made weight. Whew!
Whether Chavez would meet the 164.5 catchweight limit was among the most compelling aspects of the Cinco De Mayo weekend showdown of Mexican boxing superstars. Chavez would have paid a $1 million penalty if he had not made weight. But he tipped the scales at 164 on Friday, while Alvarez also was 164.
Chavez figures to balloon to 180-190 pounds by the first bell at T-Mobile Arena. That would give the 6-foot-1 Chavez a huge size advantage over the 5-9 Alvarez.
“If I have the opportunity to be the stronger guy in there, I’m going to use it,” Chavez said. “I’m not going to give him any space. I’m going to throw a lot of punches.”
All of Mexico will be focused on Las Vegas as Alvarez tries to validate his standing as the best Mexican fighter of this era by beating the son of Mexico’s all-time best fighter. It’s a grudge match 10 years in the making with Chavez, 31, trying to add a crowning achievement to a career that has been stalled by a lack of discipline in and out of the ring.
There was a suspension after testing positive for marijuana and frequent reports of a lack of focus in training camp. The result is a 50-2-1 record with 32 knockouts. But Chavez has fought just once in nearly two years and has lost twice in his past six bouts. A victory over Alvarez (481-1, 34 KOs) would go a long way toward redemption.
“It would be a big boost to my career if I win this fight,” Chavez said. “This is an opportunity to show people what I’m really about.”
We really haven’t been sure what Chavez is about. He decided to become a pro boxer without any amateur experience, using his famous name to get fights and draw crowds while building an unbeaten record against inferior opponents.
He won the WBC middleweight title in 2011, but just when he began to show his toughness with wins over Marco Antonio Rubio and Andy Lee, he lost focus. He lost to Sergio Martinez when a late rally fell short and then quit against Andrzej Fonfara in a light heavyweight fight in 2015.
Now he’ll test Alvarez in a non-title fight. It’s a bout he calls personal.
“I came here to win, not just fight,” Chavez said. “I feel ready. I prepared very well and I’m ready for this fight.”
Alvarez, 26, defeated Miguel Cotto in 2015 to capture the WBC middleweight title, but relinquished the belt instead of fighting Gennady Golovkin. Saturday’s night HBO payper-view showdown may not be for a title, but plenty is at stake.
“I’m happy he made weight because it proved he trained hard and we can give the fans a great fight,” Alvarez said. “Titles are very important to me but this is above that. This goes above any title. It’s for honor, for pride, and it’s very important for me to keep making history in my career.”
The fight will match Alvarez’s hand speed, accuracy and boxing ability against Chavez’s strength and will. The son of the Mexican legend can take a punch and likely will take plenty to land something hard. The prediction here is that Alvarez wins by easy decision.
Chavez will have had to cut weight, then gain weight, while Alvarez has stayed steady throughout.