Mexican boxing sensation Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has taken the center stage ahead of Mexico’s most popular boxer Juan Manuel Marquez as he puts finishing touches on his rigorous training in preparation for his showdown with Floyd Mayweather on Saturday. Barely a week before Alvarez and Mayweather clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Internet as well as broadcast and print media have practically shifted coverage to the Mayweather-Alvarez bout, effectively junking the Marquez-Bradley fight which is scheduled for Oct.12. Clearly, Alvarez has majority of Mexican boxing fans on his side leading up to his Sept. 14 showdown with the pound-for-pound king. Seemingly, Marquez is getting jealous of the young Mexican boxing sensation as Mexico’s attention has shifted to the highly hyped Alvarez-Mayweather match. The hype will prevail between now and fight night and if Alvarez wins, he will remain on top of Marquez on the popularity ratings. Marquez faces a rough time in getting media attention even after the Mayweather-Alvarez fight on Saturday as fans will continue to talk about the fight especially if Alvarez is victorious as fans will be talking about an immediate rematch. Likewise, Marquez has to bear with Bradley, who seems to be quite difficult to promote because of his limited fan base. Because of his victory over the Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao last December 8, Marquez’ popularity has soared not only in Mexico but all around the world. Now, Marquez’ popularity has been sidelined in favor of the young Mexican idol who seems to be enjoying his new-found celebrity status. Media may have also noted that Marquez has sided with Mayweather instead of supporting his own countryman. But perhaps Marquez is just being honest as he has already tested Mayweather’s capability when he lost to the unbeaten champion in 2009. In a recent interview with Boxing Scene, Marquez said he doesn’t see Alvarez winning or getting an upset. “Defensively speaking [Mayweather] is the best. He makes it very difficult to land your punches, he is very elusive. You start to get desperate and he leverages this desperation to connect [his counters]. Canelo is not going to be any exception.” Marquez told Boxing Scene. “Anything can happen above the ring. We already saw this with Jhonny vs Abner Mares, where nobody expected Jhonny to win. We hope the Mexican [fighter] can win. He needs a little bit more of experience. He has the opportunity to show that he is a great boxer. I can tell you that upsets are sparse and based on that I don’t Canelo can get [the upset],” Marquez said.” Still, Marquez has a fair chance of sharing the spotlight with Alvarez if he wins over Bradley in October. If he accepts Pacquiao’s challenge for a fifth fight after getting past Bradley, certainly he will see his popularity soaring once again.
