Guadalajara boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez steps into the ring May 6 with compatriot Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in a keenly anticipated fight both north and south of the border. 

The two Mexicans have already started to promote the fight, scheduled at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena over the Cinco de Mayo weekend.

There is no love lost between these two fighters.   Alvarez said this week that winning the fight will be “personal and professional,” after derogatory comments Chavez, Jr. made about him recently.

Guadalajara-born Alvarez is a two-division world champion and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Chavez, Jr. – a former world champion – is the son of Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, who at his peak in the early 1990s was unquestionably the world’s number one middleweight. 

Alvarez, 25, will be an overwhelming favorite on May 6, given his impressive record (48-1-1).  Fans are hoping this will be his last fight before he finally tackles the unbeaten Gennady Golovkin, a match-up the entire boxing world is eager to see.  Alvarez has been criticized for appearing to duck the formidable Kazakhstani fighter, although his camp insists the Mexican has no fear of anyone and that delays in arranging the encounter are due to money, weight and promotion issues.   If the Tapatio defeats Chavez  Jr. in May expect the clamor for an Alvarez-Golovkin duel to reach a crescendo.