Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez will be squaring off on Saturday night — Cinco de Mayo weekend — for a much anticipated battle at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Unlike other fights where the hype is contrived, there is legitimate bad blood and a rivalry between these two boxers.
Asked during his conference call on Monday about the rivalry, Chavez Jr. described the relationship as a “true rivalry.”
“Yes, there’s a real, true rivalry, and on Saturday night, people are going to see firsthand this rivalry, how real it is. Obviously we’re going to show it inside the ring,” said Chavez Jr.
He’s not the only one who feels that way. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya made a similar comment at a Canelo workout last month.
“The rivalry between Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. goes back a while, and it’s felt by both
teams,” De La Hoya said last month. “Both Chavez, Sr. and Jr., for some reason, don’t like Canelo. Perhaps it’s because he’s been the face of boxing for a while now. He’s going to carry boxing on his shoulders for many years to come. Or, maybe they don’t like Canelo because he’s getting more attention for this fight than Jr. is.”
Maybe there is a jealousy issue going on. Perhaps Chavez Jr. wants to have the success that Canelo has enjoyed, while Alvarez feels Chavez hasn’t earned it.
“Chavez, Jr. has gotten to this point because of his name; he lacks the discipline to be the best. He has had
so many highs and lows in his career. I hope that he gets his act together and that we get the best Julio
Cesar Chavez, Jr. in the ring on May 6. That is going to make the fight all the more action packed inside
the ring. I don’t want any excuses.”
The two are the headline for Saturday’s fight card. David Lemieux vs. Marco Reyes is the co-main event.
Photo: Golden Boy Promotions
