Photo by Erik Verduzco/Las Vegas Review Journal/AP
On Saturday, May 6, 2017, in front of a sold-out crowd of over 20,510 fans at the T-Mobile Center, Canelo Alvarez dominated his rival, Julio Caesar Chavez Jr., to a unanimous-decision victory.
All three judges scored the bout a perfect 120-108 in favor of Alvarez over Chavez Jr., whose effort was a damn near perfect impersonation of a heavy bag with boxing gloves on.
Canelo hit the plodding Chavez Jr. with everything, including the kitchen sink, in a performance that leaves no doubt about who is Mexico’s biggest boxing star of the current era.
So what’s next for the red-headed superstar?
During the post-fight interview, as HBO’s Max Kellerman just begin inquiring about the “plan in place” for Canelo’s next opponent, Canelo declared in English, “Golovkin–you are next, my friend.”
In what seemed like a move taken directly from the WWE playbook, the lights dimmed as attention was directed to the jumbo tron with a highlight video displaying Golovkin’s exploits.
As the short video ended, The White Stripes’ “7 Nation Army” began blaring through the T-Mobile Center, as the Middleweight king, Gennady Golovkin, made his way to the ring.
As both fighters stood a few feet from each other, Kellerman asked for clarity about the deal being done between the two camps, guaranteeing a fight in September.
Golovkin nodded, while Canelo excitedly repeated, “Yessir. Yessir. It’s on!”
When asked how he feels about the September matchup after waiting so long, Golovkin replied, “I feel very excited. Guys, right now’s a different story. I think in September, it’s big Mexican style, big drama show. We’re ready.”
Canelo had this to say to his fans and critics when questioned about not getting Golovkin in the ring before; “I’ve never feared any one since I was 16 and fighting as a professional. When I was born, fear was gone. I never got my share of fear.”
“And again I said before, the rival, the opponent, is gonna give me the tools to showcase myself and that’s what’s going to happen,” Canelo remarked confidently.
After each fighter agreed that they were both the best opponents on their respective resumes thus far, Golovkin was asked if he had anything to say to Canelo, and he simply replied, “Good luck.”
“Luck is for the mediocre,” Canelo quipped as fans roared in the background.
After a long wait and all the criticisms levied at Canelo for “ducking,” we now have the mega-fight boxing fans have been clamoring for. This is the biggest matchup that can be made at the moment.
Now that there’s a solid date of September 16, they just need to find a venue. In the meantime, who do you think wins? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Header photo by Ed Mulholland/HBO
