By Miguel Rivera
The legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. believes that he has the perfect game plan for his son, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (49-2-1, 32 KOs), to beat countryman Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) on May 6th.
The two boxers reached an agreement last Friday to battle it out on HBO Pay-Per-View, and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas or AT&T Stadium in Texas will play host.
The fight will take place at a catch-weight of 164.5-pounds. Canelo will come up from 154-pounds, where he holds the WBO junior middleweight title. And Chavez Jr. will come down from the super middleweight limit of 168-pounds. According to Chavez, there is a contract clause that will cost him a $1 million for every pound that he's over.
When both sides were having difficulties reaching a deal, Chavez Sr. was pushing for the fight to get done. He says the outcome will determine the next guiding force for Mexican boxing.
"It's a fight that the Mexican public wanted, a big fight, a fight that can now break my record at a stadium (70,000 attendees at the Alamodome in San Antonio)," Chavez Sr. told ESPN Deportes.
"[My son] needed this type of motivation to take things seriously, to do things well, logically for his career this fight can catapult him or he can go down... as we say in Mexico - it all depends on him, it depends on his mentality. I do not doubt that if Julio does things as he should - he will beat Canelo, I do not doubt that he will win the fight."
"[Making the weight] can be harmful if proper care is not taken - but if Julio does take proper care, there won't be problems. I just talked to him and he's very motivated and focused. Canelo, logically, will go up [to the catch-weight] strong and fast, because he will not be fighting his body to make that weight... he will be comfortable in all aspects, but by fight time the strongest will definitely be Julio if he doesn't have weight issues. If Julio is well prepared, well trained, he can make 160 pounds... that's what I've always said. The strongest in the fight will be Julio, but fights are not only won with strength, they are won with intelligence and with good boxing.
"I'll always be there to support him in any way that I can, but if he does not ask for me [to be a part of the camp] - I'm going to be on the look out for nothing more than to get things right. I think that's the fight Julio wanted for a very long time. Now it's been given to him and now it's in his hands to demonstrate what he can do. This is the best opportunity for him in his career. He is still at a good age and everything will depend on his mentality, and can not neglect [what's need in camp] even for a single day."