By Miguel Rivera
The war of words continued between Mexican stars Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
The two boxers are currently on tour to promote their upcoming Cinco De Mayo showdown. Things were cordial when they came together for the first stop of the tour on Monday in Mexico City. As the tour continued to New York City and Houston - their rivalry boiled over.
Canelo and Chavez Jr. will collide on May 6th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Their HBO Pay-Per-View fight takes place at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds.
During the ongoing tour, Chavez Jr. has openly criticized Canelo for not fighting WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO middleweight world champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin.
Chavez Jr. has admitted in several interviews that Canelo saw him as an easier option with less risk involved.
"I think he saw the fight [with me as something that is] easier and worth more money. He had no choice in this situation, because if he did not fight with me and it wasn't with [Golovkin] - then [Canelo's] numbers would have been going down. That's why this fight was made," Chavez Jr. told ESPN Deportes.
"I think the favorite [to win that fight] is Golovkin. He's the legitimate champion at 160 pounds. He's defended his titles at 160 pounds... everything can happen and Canelo did not want to take the risk. I do not know exactly what he's thinking, but I'm glad he's fighting me."
''I don't know if it's fear, I do not know what Canelo is thinking. I do not know him personally, but maybe he thinks he can lose [with Golovkin], he sees it as a tough fight. To fight [Golovkin].... I think he sees it as something difficult. Canelo, if he knew that he could win, he would grab [that fight]."
The teams for Canelo and Golovkin are currently in talks to face each other in September - if they win their upcoming assignments - but for the moment they appear to be at odds over the money.
