Much has been made of the massive payday Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to receive for his part in "The One," his blockbuster bout with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez set for Saturday, September 14th. Mayweather is expected to earn $41 million guaranteed, breaking the record he set in his fights against Miguel Cotto and Robert Guererro ($32 million).
As many are writing off Canelo's chances to win the fight, they are also ignoring his career high payday. According to reports, Alvarez is set to earn $5 million guaranteed, and that is before his cut of the pay-per-view profits. ESPN's Dan Rafael tweeted that when all is said and done, Canelo will walk away with closer to $12 million.
Contracts are filed w/ NSAC. Canelo making $5M on fight night, but it's misleading. Guaranteed WAY more from PPV. I'm told $12M. #TheOne
— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) September 11, 2013
That's not bad money for a 23-year-old fighter. The reason for the drastic difference between his expected haul and the amount he signed for is the potential volatility of pay-per-view sales. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer has claimed this blowout event could draw as many as 2.6 million buys.
At $70 per purchase, that 2.6 million-buy figure would make "The One" the highest-grossing event in the history of the sport. Clearly, Mayweather is the top draw but Alvarez's star power has pushed this event well past the projections set for Floyd's last bout against Guerrero.
He has come a long way from his days as a youth in Juanacatlan, Jalisco, Mexico. As a boy in Mexico Alvarez tended to be bullied because of his unusually freckled, red-haired appearance. In fact his signature red hair is the reason he's nicknamed "Canelo," which is Spanish for cinnamon.
He took up boxing at the age of 13 after watching his brother Rigoberto fight professionally. Rigoberto spotted innate talent in Saul, the youngest of eight siblings, and nurtured his talent. Canelo turned professional at the ripe age of 15 and never looked back.
Now he has risen from modest beginnings in Mexico to the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. He also has a message for Mayweather, who often boasts he was built for big moments such as the one coming on Saturday:
"I was born for this moment, too."
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