Fight with Chavez Jr. all for pride, says Canelo

In case you didn’t know, there’s a big, all-Mexican showdown tomorrow night on HBO PPV when Canelo Alvarez will take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. It’s rare to see a fight of this magnitude with no titles involved (and no, I’m not counting any custom made ornaments), but it’ll be a big event nonetheless for Cinco De Mayo weekend.

And as Canelo looks forward to the fight, he makes it clear in a WBN report that his personal rivalry with fellow countryman Chavez Jr. has provided him with extra motivation to put on a spectacular showing.

“He’s one more of the 50 of all my opponents that I’ve faced. I’ve wanted to rip their head off; I wanted to beat them; I wanted to knock them out. This is a little extra though. There’s a little bit more motivation, of course, because of the rivalry, but it’s another one of my fights,” said Canelo.

“Titles are very important to me but this is above that. This goes above a title, any title. It’s for honour, for pride, and it’s very important for me. It’s also important to keep making history in my career,” he said.

I won’t go so far as to say that this fight will make history, but don’t downplay the pride factor. This fight between Canelo and Chavez Jr. has been brewing for years and you can bet that both men will let it all hang out to make it clear who the face of Mexican boxing should be.

Promoter Oscar De La Hoya also weighed-in to assure spectators that this fight is so personal for both men that you can expect them to go the extra mile — quite literally. But salesmanship aside, styles still make fights. And you can be sure that both Canelo and Chavez Jr. will slug it out for the hearts and minds of the people of their beloved country.