Floyd Mayweather (44-0)  took to Twitter last night to announce to that he chose Canelo Alvarez (42-0-1) for a September 14 title fight, supposedly “giving fans what they want.” The fight will take place in Las Vegas, NV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and is poised to be one of the most highly-anticipated non-heavyweight bouts in recent memory.


Already the fight is garnering significant media attention and has all the storybook signs of a classic rivalry in the  making; U.S.A. vs. Mexico, undefeated against undefeated, old versus young. Both fighters will have titles on the line, Mayweather being the WBC Welterweight champion, WBA Super Welterweight champion, and recipient of the WBC diamond Super Welterweight belt. Alvarez is the current WBC, WBA, and Ring Magazine Light Middleweight champion

The decision by Mayweather, 36, comes after handily defending his title against challenger Roberto Guerrero earlier this month in a unanimous decision for his Welterweight title. Hoping to rebound from accusations of handpicking his opponents to pad his undefeated record and a poor showing from box office ratings for Showtime, “Money” Mayweather may be in for his first loss at the hands of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Alvarez, as noted by Forbes, is a star in the making and arguably the most popular Mexican fighter with a massive fan following and just as large of potential for the 22-year old.

After guaranteeing $32 million to Mayweather in his fight with Guerrero, throwing down obscene amounts of money on promotional materials, and raking in an estimated 875,000 pay-per-view buys Showtime is looking for a way to make back its net loss of a supposed $12 million (the record PPV audience of almost 2.5 million was for Mayweather-Oscar de La Hoya in 2007). Mayweather almost always draws viewers due to his love him or hate him demeanor and handpicking a boxer 14 years his junior only adds to the intrigue as to weather or not he will lose or keep his title and reputation as being the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game today.

Mayweather usually fights in the 147lb range and will move up to fight the bulkier Alvarez at a catchweight of 152 pounds, though ESPN notes that “with more than 24 hours between the weigh-in and the fight, Alvarez could enter the ring as heavy as 170 pounds.”

Stay tuned for the latest about the Mayweather-Alvarez title fight and upcoming promotional specials. In the meantime, let’s hear some early predictions. Will Alvarez be the one to hand Mayweather his only loss? Will Mayweather keep his title and secure his legacy as the best pound-for-pound fighter ever? Will you be tuning into Showtime PPV to watch?

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