Canelo Alvarez Rooting For Chavez Jr to Rebound, Talks Cotto and Mayweather

If Canelo Alvarez is happy about press rival Julio Cesar Chavez Jr losing to Sergio Martinez this past Saturday, he's definitely keeping it to himself, and says that he hopes for Chavez Jr to rebound from his first career defeat:

"Unfortunately a Mexican fighter lost and hopefully he gets up from this and gives it his all. It doesn’t finish here."

Canelo (41-0-1, 30 KO) trounced Josesito Lopez in a mismatch main event on Showtime while Chavez Jr was losing to Martinez across town in Las Vegas. The two have traded remarks and words over the last few years, as they've become the next generation superstars of Mexican boxing.

While Chavez Jr largely got there entirely because he is, in fact, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Canelo has taken a more grassroots route to stardom -- sure, the red hair helps and sets him apart and makes him memorable, but if he wasn't fun to watch, he wouldn't be as popular as he's already become, either.

The two of them both do massive TV numbers in their home country, and have become legitimate stars in U.S. boxing as well.

Right now, there's no denying that Alvarez appears to have the greater long-term future. At 26, Chavez Jr has always battled the notion that he's living off of his father's name, and though he had that great 12th round against Sergio, the fact that he was so easily picked apart for the first 11 rounds of the fight has validated the feelings of many who still believe he's not a legitimate contender, never has been, and never will be.

Canelo, on the other hand, hasn't faced anyone near Martinez's level, but the lack of a win against someone that good is also accompanied by the lack of a one-sided loss to someone that good. So Canelo hasn't had to suffer that yet -- sure, he still has skeptics, but nobody can point to a loss of his and go, "See?"

As for the future, Canelo is still banging that Cotto or Mayweather drum, and I think the kid is really serious: He wants one of them soon.

"For me it would be an honor [to fight Miguel Cotto] but we need to talk to my team to see what's coming up but it would be an honor for me to fight him. Either one. For me I would love it. That’s what I want."

Early talk is that one of those two big-time fights could happen on May 4, 2013, with Canelo possibly fighting again in December as a final tune-up before he takes the leap into the true elite level of boxing.