The summer of 2013 will be remembered as one of the driest when it comes to big prizefights. But come September, things really heat up.
Floyd Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez appeared in downtown Los Angeles last week for the final leg of their cross-country tour called “The One” that also had a brief stop in Mexico City. Both are headed toward the most lucrative showdown in pro boxing when they meet Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Both are undefeated and have large followings.
Wearing sunglasses and a dark tank top with his TMT emblem, the flashy Mayweather disembarked from his limousine like a hip hop star strutting to a music award ceremony. He’s boxing’s main superstar and his arrival brought more than 10,000 gawking fans to L.A. Live last Tuesday.
“Floyd Mayweather is the highest paid athlete in the world,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions.
Mayweather makes a guaranteed $30 million a fight and that doesn’t include his percentage from pay-per-view television subscribers for each of his fights. No other athlete in any sport can equal that amount or his guaranteed salary.
“He is the number one pay-per-view attraction,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions.
In contrast, Mexico’s somewhat reserved redhead Alvarez walked into the open press conference almost shyly. The popular square-jawed prizefighter from Guadalajara surprised many when he attracted more than 45,000 fans to his title bout in San Antonio, Texas in May. And when Alvarez defeated Austin Trout to unify the junior middleweight titles, even more were surprised.
Alvarez has mushroomed from a novelty fighter with flaming red hair to a freakishly strong junior middleweight with perfect timing and shocking power in his fists. In Mexico his out-of-the-ring exploits are covered by tabloid publications. Despite the press coverage, he rarely talks about anything other than boxing.
Of the eight-day press tour that began in New York City and ended 10 stops later in Los Angeles, the 21-year-old Alvarez said “I enjoyed the experience” and was amazed at the amount of boxing fans he met. He seemed relieved to begin preparing for the fight and return to the familiar gym routines.
Alvarez will train in Big Bear Lake at the cabin of former foe Shane Mosley. He chose that location for its high altitude. He trained a year ago at The Summit boxing gym in Big Bear Lake.
“Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya both fought against Mayweather. They weren’t victorious but it’s important to get their experience,” said Alvarez, adding that he will seek advice from both former champions.
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