MEXICAN icon Julio Cesar Chavez admits his son’s upcoming clash with Canelo Alvarez is a significant moment in his own life and rivals some of the fights from his own Hall of Fame career.
Chavez Jnr fights Canelo at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday (May 6) in what is being billed as the biggest fight in Mexico’s history.
Though his son is a betting underdog, Chavez is confident he can pull off the upset on the grandest stage of his career to date.
“I’m happy to be here, and I’m happy Saturday is close,” he said.
“I’ve lived many big moments in my life, and this is probably one of the biggest moments and fights in my life. It’s a big fight for Mexico, but I believe this a fight that can be won – anything can be done in the ring.”
The bout – set at a catchweight of 164.5lbs – has steadily bubbled with bad blood between the two Mexican protagonists, who have traded barbs in the media.
Though Canelo insists it is about pride, it seems he is also using the fight as an introduction – of sorts – to the middleweight division, to which he has pledged his future after this weekend.
For Chavez Jnr, it is a chance to live up to his family name and topple the sport’s current biggest draw.
“I feel ready and happy that the fight is only a few days away,” he said.
“I came here to win, not just to fight. Everything has already been said; we’ve all spoken; and I’m here to win this great fight on Saturday.”
Canelo’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, also produced some figures to back up his claims over the magnitude of this fight.
“Given the obvious Cinco de Mayo date and the bad blood between the boxers, I think it is safe to say this is the biggest fight in Mexican history,” he said.
“To give you an idea of how big this event is, let me give you some numbers. This will be the most attended indoor fight in the storied Las Vegas fight history with more than 20,000 in attendance. The fight sold out in 10 days, and we opened up more circuit-viewing theaters for everyone to watch on fight night in Las Vegas at MGM properties.”
