By Miguel Rivera
Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera believes the critics have been too harsh with his countrymen, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Canelo and Chavez are scheduled to fight each other on May 6th, in the headliner of an HBO Pay-Per-View event. A catch-weight of 164.5-pounds is in place for the contest.
Chavez Jr. has been a target of the critics for a long time, due to improper training habits, lackluster performances and his inability to control his weight. All of these bad habits are magnified because he's the son of the man who Mexican fans consider to be the greatest fighter in the history of the country, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
For his part, Canelo has been highly criticized for the last twelve months over his selection of opponents and several calculated moves to delay a mega-fight with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.
"The critics have been unfair [to them] for doing things that [the critics] believe they are doing things that they shouldn't be doing. [Julio] is the son of the legend, but he is doing his own thing. And Canelo has shown that he is great, defends well, connects well with his punches and leaves with the arm raised," Barrera said.
"Julio has a lot of pressure on his back, because he has the name of the father. We would like to see him as the father, but we must remember that [the son] is not always the same as the father, but he is a great fighter. I enjoy what he does, I like his style... it's very Mexican and he is creating his own road, his own career."
"Canelo is an extraordinary fighter, a young man who brings charisma. I think the fans are critical because they don't see him as the traditional Mexican fighter that we're used to seeing, the king that comes right out there to trade punches when the bell rings. He is a cerebral fighter, he likes to use the ring, counter-attack, he's a warrior."
