Mexican boxers Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Guadalajara hometown hero Saul “Canelo” Alvarez go head-to-head on Saturday night in Las Vegas, but in a spar for ratings rather than a direct physical showdown.
The pair will simultaneously take to the ring in Sin City to mark Mexican Independence Day, but in separate bouts televised exclusively by rival broadcasters TV Azteca and Televisa.
The former network will air the fight between Chavez Jr. and Argentina’s Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez, while at the same time the latter channel will show Guadalajara-born Alvarez against U.S. boxer Josesito Lopez.Both Chavez Jr. and Alvarez are among the top ten best paid boxers in the world and they are set to receive staggering sums on Saturday as they compete for the nation’s attention.
Still only 22 years old, the red-haired Guadalajara native Alvarez will put his World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Middleweight title on the line in a lucrative fight worth two million dollars in the Grand Garden Arena of the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old son of Julio Cesar Chavez, Mexico’s greatest boxing legend, will earn a cool 3.2 million dollars in defense of his WBC Middleweight belt at the Thomas & Mack Center.
A survey by the Strategic Communications Office (GCE) this week showed fans in Mexico believe Alvarez is the better of the two boxers. Sixty percent of those polled favored the Tapatio, while just 27.4 percent backed Chavez as the superior boxer.
Both camps have ruled out any fight soon between the two Mexican boxers.
The survey also suggested boxing is Mexico’s second favorite sport, behind soccer but ahead of baseball and American football.