Canelo Alvarez is one of boxing's biggest attractions, largely because of the large and rabid fanbase that comes with being an elite Mexican fighter. Now that Alvarez has agreed to a nine-fight mega deal with HBO, Alvarez plans on taking ownership of Mexican holidays.
Alvarez plans on fighting on the weekends of Cinco De Mayo and September 16 in 2015, dates that have typically featured Floyd Mayweather Jr. fights. "Money" Mayweather is boxing's biggest draw, but Golden Boy President Oscar De La Hoya says he will move forward with any dates Alvarez requests.
"Canelo Alvarez gave me my marching orders, and that is fighting in May of next year and in September of next year. So, as his promoter, I have to do whatever I can to make that happen for him," De La Hoya said.
It remains to be seen whether HBO would try to schedule a pay-per-view or premium cable event against a Mayweather pay-per-view on Showtime, but Alvarez is adamant about re-claiming these days for the Mexican people.
"Obviously, those two dates are very important. They're Mexican dates. I want to recoup that. I want to recuperate those dates and take them back to the Mexican people. There should always be a Mexican fighting on those dates...I've always wanted to fight on Cinco De Mayo and on Sept. 16," Alvarez said.
"With me being a Mexican National, those are the dates that I've always celebrated and the dates that my countrymen have celebrated. So I'm excited that I can now finally fulfill my dreams of continuing that tradition that many great fighters laid out. That plan and that tradition is to fight on May 5 and in September. So I'm excited to give the fans what they want to see."
Alvarez's next fight will be on December 6 against Joshua Clottey on HBO. It will be Alvarez's third fight of 2014, and the first of the year that is not a pay-per-view. Alvarez won by TKO over Alfredo Angulo in March, then took a controversial split decision from Erislandy Lara in July.
Eventually, De La Hoya and Alvarez would like to take on WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto, currently the most prominent fighter from Puerto Rico. In August, Alvarez's trainer Chepo Reynoso had this to say.
"Everyone wants to see Canelo go against Cotto, but if it doesn't happen his career will still go forward. It will definitely not happen this year, but sooner or later we will see their faces meet."
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