Ever since the great Julio Cesar Chavez retired back in 2005, Mexican fight fans have been starving for the next great Mexican fighter to come along. There have been many good Mexican fighters that have entertained us all through the years since Chavez?s retirement. The tenacious trio of Juan Manuel Marquez, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Erik Morales has all taken turns passing the torch that was passed down from the great Chavez. Marquez, Barrera, and Morales all have a lot of fans that rally behind them, but Chavez was the last Mexican fighter that had a legion of fanatics that truly supported their Mexican hero.
To say that Mexico has a rich tradition of having great fighters would be a huge under statement. Ask any boxing historian where the toughest fighters come from, and the country of Mexico will always make the list. I once asked Juan Manuel Marquez on what makes a Mexican fighter great and his answer was that the fighter had to have heart, had to be brave, and had to have a destroy or be destroyed mentality. Marquez went on to add that the ethnic Mexican blood that pumps through his veins pushes him to fight hard not just for himself, but mainly for the people of Mexico.
From the great Salvador Sanchez to Ricardo Lopez to the great Julio Cesar Chavez , the torch keeps getting passed down to younger lions that shall soon take over the #1 spot. Marquez, Barrera, and Morales are all in their mid- 30?s so the torch is there for the taking. So who will step up and be next in line for the throne? If you dare to know the answer then you got to ask the question, which I did and the answer I hear most often is Saul ??Canelo?? Alvarez.
So who exactly is Canelo? Where does he hail from? How old is he? What does he look like? Ok, ok, I?ll get to your questions one at a time, gee whiz be patient. Canelo, which means cinnamon in Spanish is a 20 year old kid who currently fights in the welterweight division [147 pounds]. Canelo who hails from Guadalajara, Jalsico Mexico, does not have the stereo typical Mexican look. Saul looks more like Archie Andrews from the Archie comics. But please do not let the red hair and freckles fool you, the kid can bang.
In Canelo?s last fight against Lovemore N?Dou on December 04, Canelo improved his record to 35-0-1 by dominating the very game N?Dou with vicious hooks to the body and by blitzing N?Dou with very hard head shots. The plan now for Canelo is to help make him a mega star here in the states. Oscar De La Hoya, the president of Golden Boy Promotions is Canelo?s promoter and Oscar recently told myself and other members of the media that Canelo has taken it up among himself to start taking english classes so that he can speak directly to his new American fans. HBO, Which happens to be the home network of boxing is going to stand behind Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions and is planning to showcase Canelo?s next 3 to 4 fights in 2011. One big fight from what I am being told could pair up Canelo against the son of his hero, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.Does Canelo have what it takes to be the very next face of not just Mexican boxing, but boxing in general? Only time will tell.
But for now,It?s no secret that a Canelo Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. clash will be huge for the future, so you can bet that match making for these two young lions going forward will be very vital. The time to crown the next great Mexican fighter may be arriving closer than we think. The unveiling of the next great Mexican warrior is now upon us, how he looks means very little, the Mexican fight fans are thirsty now, so who really cares if the next to the throne looks more like Archie Andrews than Pancho Villa.
