De La Hoya: Chavez Will Not Be Easy For Canelo, It's a Big Concern

By Miguel Rivera

Last week, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. explained 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 - as part of Cinco De Mayo weekend.

The two boxers reached an agreement last Friday to battle it out on HBO Pay-Per-View. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, 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.

According to Chavez Sr., his son is beyond motivated and will train like he's never trained before. 

"[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," Chavez Sr. told ESPN Deportes.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who handles Canelo, is not expecting an easy fight for his boxer. The fight could bring a measure of family revenge, because De La Hoya holds two stoppage wins over Chavez Sr.

"I understand what Chavez's father is talking about. When you feel like you're the opponent, you're going to train like never before, and Chavez's father knows about that... he's been in very good fights... with Meldrick Taylor. You start getting ready like never before and the mentality of a boxer is that if you feel motivated to beat someone - you will do everything possible to beat him. His son will do his best to beat Canelo, and that's a big concern," De La Hoya told ESPN Deportes.

"It's not an easy fight for anyone. It's difficult for both of them. I do not take [Chavez Sr.'s words] personally. For me I want my fighter to win, because obviously I am the promoter of Canelo Alvarez and we support him 100 percent, but I do not take anything personal [that is said by Chavez Sr.]."