The feeling at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is that Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is the “next best”, writes Elliot Worsell
As boxing fans inside the Lobby at the MGM Grand this afternoon used both hands to hold up their phones like Rafiki introducing Simba at Pride Rock, it was abundantly clear that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez had lost none of his appeal to the eyes of the fans despite losing his last fight in May.
In addition, a second realization was as follows: Alvarez, having made his arrival at the MGM Grand some ten minutes after Gennadiy Golovkin, is by far the biggest draw of the two and the most popular fighter heading into Saturday’s fight (June 17). September) at the T-Mobile Stadium.
This should come as no surprise, of course, but the tangible sense of anticipation that surrounded Álvarez’s entrance, set to the soundtrack of a mariachi band’s trumpets and violins, left no question as to which of the two wrestlers’ career and profile. had shot. in the wake of their first meeting in September 2017. That fight, a draw, naturally set up the following year’s rematch, which Alvarez won, and now, four years later, the pair not only meet for the third time, but they do as totally different propositions.
Golovkin, for all his accomplishments and all the trouble he gave Alvarez before, remains a fighter adored only by the fans, while Alvarez, currently the man with bragging rights, is the leading name in boxing and the source of earnings in 2022, a statement unaffected by his loss to Dmitry Bivol in May (at light heavyweight).
Perhaps such a thing would be considered moot if boxing, historically, was not a sport prone to becoming a popularity contest at its most crucial moments. Unfortunately, though, it is, and indeed this week in Vegas there is a feeling that the popularity of two evenly matched fighters could, at some point, become as relevant again as it was in 2017 and, to a lesser extent, 2018. .
The hope is that it won’t, of course, and that a more forceful ending will eliminate the need for someone to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but it would be shortsighted not to take Alvarez’s power into account, especially here in Vegas. , the same city in which he has already fought Golovkin twice.
Here in Las Vegas, where the girls lined up at the Lobby entrance awaiting his arrival and then sang the lyrics to the accompanying song, he is big news; powerful enough to draw hordes of Mexicans to Sin City ahead of Independence weekend and famous enough to attract casual sports fans and tourists strolling the MGM Grand on a Tuesday afternoon . He also currently outsells Golovkin at the Grand and Co. store, where they both have merchandise for sale, and where I ran into one of his employees, Jodi, who, she says, has been working there “too long to remember and too long to “. enough to remember them all (the great boxers)”.
Watching the commotion from afar, Jodi told me, “Canelo outsells for quite a distance and he always outsells his opponents when he fights here.” She then reacted in shock when I had the audacity to mention Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather, Canelo’s former opponent, in the same sentence. “Oh come on,” she said. “Mayweather was much more popular. Him against (Manny) Pacquiao (in 2015)? She rolled her eyes and made a hissing sound with her mouth. “That was like nothing else. But of course they are both retired now and we miss them. Canelo is the next best option.”
At 1:15 p.m., The Next Best Thing entered the MGM Grand Lobby and the crowd, who had been building and building for nearly an hour, scrambled to get the best view possible. It is also interesting to note that among this congregation there were both women and men, with one, a Mexican, screaming at the top of her lungs when she later secured a photo with the super middleweight champion from Guadalajara.
“You can always tell the difference between people who are here to see a fight and people who are just walking around and want to see what’s going on,” said Robert Diaz of Golden Boy Promotions. “People who just want to see what’s going on usually leave, while those who are here today stay. The crowd here started out very big and continues to grow and grow. That is a good indication.
Diaz added: “It’s Mexican Independence Day on Friday (September 16) and it’s a weekend where Mexicans traditionally come to see their favorite singers and wrestlers and see all the shows. They have a fighter like Canelo that brings out that enthusiasm a little bit more.”
No stranger to big fights in Las Vegas, or Canelo’s big fights in Las Vegas, Diaz is someone who has been close to the 32-year-old fighter throughout his career and, from this enviable position, has been able to plot and evaluate your progress. He has been, he says, gradual and rapid, with Canelo’s overall journey long and grueling, but his newfound stardom is something that almost feels like it happened overnight.
“I would be lying if I said yes,” Diaz said when I asked if he saw all this coming. “You never imagine it like that. You imagine a world championship and a couple of them if they are a bit special. But you never imagine that they will reach the level that Canelo has reached.
“That a Mexican has been successful in divisions where you would normally never find a Mexican is another big thing that people don’t talk about enough. He’s fighting at light heavyweight and super middleweight and he’s fighting guys that he shouldn’t be fighting given the weight, but his skill level and determination is so great that he can handle it.”
When I later refer to Canelo, 57-2-2 (39), as “the second best thing,” stealing a phrase Jodi coined at Grand and Co., Diaz nods and accepts, knowing that few ever will. being able to match Mayweather, particularly here in Las Vegas. “That should be a good message for young fighters: that with hard work, dreams are possible,” he said. “Canelo turned pro at 15 and was making very little money back then. He now he is the current face of boxing.”
