LOS ANGELES - With September being National Hispanic Heritage Month, former two-division world champion Canelo Alvarez (47-1-1, 33 KOs) will take back Mexican Independence Day weekend for Latino fight fans in his upcoming battle against WBO Junior Middleweight World Champion Liam "Beefy" Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs). Reclaiming the distinctive weekend is a greater symbol of the arrival of Canelo Alvarez to the very top of the sport, as the last Mexican fighter who owned the action-packed weekend was Golden Boy Promotions' Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya.
The prized Mexican Independence weekend was a tradition started by the legend himself, Julio Cesar Chavez. Chavez's relentless Mexican style of attack is what made holiday weekends worthy of gathering family and friends together to watch the matches - a legacy that all Mexican boxers strove to live up to. That legacy was officially passed on to Oscar De La Hoya in a career defining match on September 18, 1998, where De La Hoya met with Cesar Chavez in the ring for the WBC World welterweight title. From that point on, the "Golden Boy" was in charge of headlining on the two biggest dates for the Latino fan base - Mexican Independence Day and Cinco de Mayo weekends.
Though some of boxing's biggest and most talented fighters come from all over Latin America, the September 17 weekend is not just for Mexican fight fans - but all Latinos who share a passion for boxing.
Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions - "Mexican Independence Day has always been a huge weekend in boxing. Boxing's biggest giants have all fought on the historic weekend, and to have a talented Mexican boxer like Canelo Alvarez take it back for the Latino community is amazing, and a huge win for us Latinos, especially as we enter Hispanic Heritage Month.
"Some of my biggest fights were held on the historic Mexican Independence Day weekend - from Julio Cesar Chavez, Bernard Hopkins to Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad just to name a few. I remember the fights I had in the ring on this historic weekend; the emotions, pride, and excitement from the crowd becomes contagious and gives you the fuel needed to give a top level performance.
"Fight fans should expect a night of explosive talent on September 17, as these fighters will be stepping on to the mat with thousands of fanatics cheering them on, representing their Latino roots. It will be a night that Latinos will be proud to see someone like Canelo representing them in the sport, an event no Latino should miss. This is our turn to dominate boxing once again."
Tickets are priced at $750, $500, $300, $200, $100, $85, $50 and $40, not including applicable service charges with a total ticket limit of 8 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Additionally, walk up purchases are available at the AT&T Stadium Box Office (Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. CT to 5:00 p.m. CT).
