Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez meets fellow Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in the middle of the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night
SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on Saturday night with the winner edging closer to a showdown with middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.
The two Mexican legends meet each other in the centre of the ring at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a non-title fight on the weekend of Cinco de Mayo.
How the two Mexican fighters shape up ahead of their mega-fight in Las VegasSaul Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will meet each other on Saturday night in a hotly-anticipated match-upGetty Images
Both fighters weighed in under the catchweight of 164.5 pounds at 164 – the heaviest Canelo has come in at, as the two look to compete for world glory once again.
Astonishingly, the two former world champions have both had more than 50 fights each, Canelo winning 48 out of 50, while Chavez Jr has won 50 out of 53.
Canelo – who won the WBO light middleweight title when he knocked out Brit Liam Smith in his last fight, has beaten 34 opponents inside the distance.
While his 31-year-old rival has stopped 32 fighters before the final bell, notably blasting away Irish star Andy Lee for the WBC middleweight title in six rounds.
The two Mexican fighters will be meeting each other in the middle of the rind on the weekend of Cinco de MayoGetty Images
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Chavez Jr’s former trainer Freddie Roach said of the fight: “I think Junior has a chance to beat Canelo.
“Canelo is getting better and better, is on the upswing, Chavez is going the other way a little. He quit once, and that makes it easier to quit again,” – he retired at the end of the ninth round when he fought Andrzej Fonfara in 2015 at light heavyweight.
Roach added: “Canelo is the bigger puncher of the two – I favour him to win. I hope for Junior to do well, because of the friendship we have. For four fights he was great.”
The winner will likely face IBF, WBA and WBC middleweight champ Golovkin, with fans wishing they will finally get to see him and Canelo share a ring.
Roach said of the potential clash: "Fighters aren’t scared of each other, never, it’s the promoters who are scared!
"Now, GGG exposed himself a little last fight – he’s slipping a little bit. He’s my friend, good fighter, had a bad night, but exposed a little bit.
"He’s still a good puncher. Michael, my man Miguel Cotto would take on both, same night.
"But Canelo versus Golovkin, it’s 50-50 at this point. Yes, at one point – one point – Golovkin was a big, big favourite. But Canelo has improved quite a bit.”
To make things even more interesting, both boxers have agreed to bet their purses on who wins the fight after they agreed live on TV.
Find out where you can watch the hotly-anticipated match-up here with coverage starting on TV from 2am.
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