De La Hoya: For All Latinos This is Our Super Bowl!

LAS VEGAS — The grand plan for Canelo Alvarez is to win Saturday night, then set up his pay-per-view franchise on the same Mexican holiday weekends that Floyd Mayweather Jr. always made his millions.

The plan for Miguel Cotto isn't nearly as ambitious, though it could be almost as lucrative. After reinventing himself with famed trainer Freddie Roach, Cotto will be in the mix for even more big money fights should he upset Alvarez in their 155-pound fight.

Unlike Alvarez, Cotto will have to do it without a title after being stripped of his piece of the middleweight crown this week for refusing to pay a $300,000 sanctioning fee to the WBC.

Promoters hope it is speaking loudly as they try to sell the bout from the Mandalay Bay resort for $69.95 on pay-per-view. Cotto and Alvarez could potentially be a fight of the year candidate, but could also be a tough sell for those disillusioned with Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s win over Manny Pacquiao in May.

They're counting on big Hispanic interest in a fight matching traditional rivals from Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"For Latinos all over the world, this is our Super Bowl," said Oscar De La Hoya, who promotes Alvarez. "This is an event that not one Hispanic, not one Latino is going to miss. That is how important this event is to us."

Alvarez is a 3-1 favorite in a fight that will be closely watched by others in or near the middleweight division. Title holder Gennady Golovkin will be at ringside, and could face the winner sometime next year in a megafight that would rival some of the retired Mayweather's promotions.

It's a fight that could do a lot for both boxers. It's also a fight Alvarez needs badly if he is to become the superstar De La Hoya believes he will be and be a part of big fights in May and September next year.

"We understand obviously the magnitude of this fight," Alvarez said through an interpreter. "We must win the fight."