Saul Alvarez Slated for New Bout in the States
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 20, a Mexican boxing prospect unmatched since the likes of Oscar de la Hoya, will put the gloves on against former welterweight titlist Carols Baldomir Sept. 18th in Los Angeles. The announcement came from Golden Boy Promotions Wednesday.
Challenging a former world champion is always a pivotal moment in a prospective fighter’s career, and things are no different for Alvarez. The outcome of the fight will determine his future.
The bout will be at the contracted junior middleweight level, and will be featured on an HBO PPV card with Shane Mosley and Sergio Mora facing off in the main event.
In a mark of homage, the card is dubbed “200: Celebrate and Dominate,” in lieu of the Mexican Independence Day bicentennial which will take place that weekend. The opportunity is a huge one, both for Alvarez and Golden Boy, who hope to showcase the Mexican talent to an American crowd and garner interest for him in that prime demographic. In Mexico, Alvarez is already a national superstar, drawing colossal television rating and selling out arenas.
"When Alvarez recently fought in Mexico, there was an average between six and eight people per home watching this fight," Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said. The data came from the Mexican network Televisa. “The fight got a 17.8 rating, which is equivalent to 600,000 homes watched by 60 million people.”
He added: “Canelo has reached superstar status in Mexico. The ratings he gets on the national Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, are unheard off and in line with what the national soccer team gets."
Contacted for the fight, Alvarez was all humility in the face of the event. "I'm glad to be on such an important card with such good fighters. It's business as usual when I step into the ring. I fight with desire. I hope everyone comes out that night to watch because this is a really exciting night of boxing."
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