Mayweather: “Canelo Is A Young, Strong Champion”

NEW YORK (June 24, 2013) – “THE ONE” we’ve been waiting for, Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez, was formally announced at a press conference in front of thousands of flag-waving, enthusiastic fans on a hot, summer Monday in Times Square in New York City. The streets were lined with camera-clicking fans for hours, while others watched the first stop of an 11-city, two-country, nine-day media tour that continues Tuesday in Washington, D.C. from their office windows high above “The Crossroads of the World.”

The fighters were introduced individually, posed for the fans and news cameras, produced an intense face-off and spoke at the podium.

“THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO” is a compelling collision of two unbeaten, popular prizefighters with the WBC, WBA Super, WBA and Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championships all on the line. Mayweather (44-0, 26 KO’s) is the sport’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and an Eight-Time and Five-Division World Champion. Mexican superstar and Super Welterweight World Champion Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) is the sport’s No. 1 rising star. The winner of the scheduled 12-round bout on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV^®, will definitely be “THE ONE” in boxing.

The event is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotion and Canelo Promotions, sponsored by Corona, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Valvoline and will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV^® at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. It can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP).

Tickets priced at $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, $600 and $350, not including applicable service charges and taxes, with a total ticket limit of 12 per person (a limit of 10 per person at the $2,000, $1,500, $1,000 and $600 price levels and a limit of two [2] per person at the $350 price level), go on sale tomorrow, Tuesday, June 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also will be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

What Mayweather and Canelo as well as executives Leonard Ellerbe, Richard Schaefer, Oscar De La Hoya, Stephen Espinoza and Canelo’s trainer, Chepo Reynoso, said Monday:

Floyd Mayweather, Eight-Time And Five-Division World Champion

“Canelo, I appreciate you for taking this fight. Let’s give the fans what they want to see on September 14.

“Mexico has produced some legendary champions. I take my hat off to them. I respect the country of Mexico, but something I’ve always enjoyed about the sport of boxing is that my fans can’t fight for me and his fans can’t fight for him.

“I’m truly thankful to the fans, without the fans I wouldn’t be where I am.

“Golden Boy Promotions, we love working hand-in-hand with you guys. Mayweather Promotions, our company is still building. We’ve got young champions on the rise. I have to thank SHOWTIME; we’re going to do some record-breaking things. I have to thank CBS. To all the executives, I want to thank you all for believing in me and my skills.”

“I want to thank Canelo’s fans, you guys have stood behind him. He’s a true champion, a young, strong champion and he’s earned his right to be up here with me. He’s done something right to get to this level.

“I can’t wait to go out there and perform. I’m about to go to camp. Physically I’m always ready, but I’m looking for an exciting fight on September 14.

“It has truly been an amazing ride. I’m blessed to be in the sport of boxing and be at the top for 17 years.

“There’s no city like New York City. As a matter of fact, they should put a ring right here in Times Square and let us do it today.

“On September 14, all we want to do is give the fans excitement. That’s what it’s all about. I just want to give the fans a hell of a fight.

“Canelo is a young strong champion. He’s obviously done something right to be at this level. He’s a guy that I can’t overlook. I’ve got to go out there and fight the best fight.

“When guys face me, it’s a totally different level. I’m sure he’s going to be in tip top condition and give the fans a great show.

“Come September 14, it’s the best versus the best. ‘THE ONE.’ He’s a guy I know I can’t overlook, but I’ve been here before. I have a lot of experience. One thing I don’t do is play into the crowd. I understand that this is my job. I know what it takes in a fight of this magnitude and I’m going to continue to dedicate myself to my craft and be the best that I can be. I dedicated my whole life to be at the pinnacle and to face the best.

“The earth is my turf. You can put me in any ring and I’ll always come out victorious. The car won’t stop now. Let’s keep the car rolling. It’s gong to be a hell of a fight on September 14.”

Canelo Alvarez, Super Welterweight World Champion

“Good afternoon, New York. Thank you all for being here and for your support. With this fight, everybody’s going to win. In boxing everybody has their time, and this is my time. Everybody knows that Floyd’s the best without question, but it’s my time. We’re going to win.

“I’m younger and bigger, which are very important keys, but you must remember that Floyd is a very intelligent fighter, but I’m going to have the right game plan.

“Obviously, this is my biggest fight, but I’ve visualized it and I’ve prepared my mind for it for a while.

“I appreciate all the fans for all of their incredible support. I always have. I’m very gratified to be here today, to see this turnout and to have so many fans supporting for me. I’ll be ready on September 14 and give them all what they want to see.”

Leonard Ellerbe, CEO, Mayweather Promotions

“We would like to thank each and every one of you for coming out today to support this tremendous event that we’re having on September 14. We have a young, great fighter in Canelo Alvarez who thinks that he’s ‘THE ONE’ going up against the best fighter in the world and who’s been the best fighter in the world for a number of years. He is ‘THE ONE.’

“This fight we feel will break records all over the world. The reason Floyd wanted to take this fight is because of you, the fans, and come September 14 that’s what you will get, a great, great fight.”

Richard Schaefer, CEO, Golden Boy Promotions

“Wow, New York, you did it again…huge, huge crowd here in Times Square! Since 2007, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Floyd and his team. Here in New York, we were at Rockefeller Plaza, we were at the Empire State Building and now here at Times Square, but wouldn’t you agree, Floyd, that this is the best one yet?

“This is the one fight everybody wanted. The one fight everybody waited for. Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather is the one…he is highest-paid one, he’s the best one, he’s the pound for pound one, he’s the one in a generation and maybe the one in a lifetime, but will he be ‘THE ONE’ at the end of September 14 or will we have the next one, the new one, Canelo Alvarez?

“Canelo is the Mexican James Dean. He has a cult-like following. He’s the one Mexico has been waiting for. He’s the one who will give Mayweather the biggest test of his career. He’s the younger one, he’s the bigger one, he is the stronger one…and he is the better looking one. Sorry Floyd, just kidding.

“The one thing I know is that September 14 the world will be watching who will be ‘THE ONE.’ Make sure if you can’t be live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – tickets will go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster or at MGM – you watch it live on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View.

“I want to quickly thank our sponsors, most of all Corona, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Valvoline for putting their efforts behind this great fight.

“This is without doubt the single biggest fight we have promoted. This is a record-breaker and if you have watched boxing before, I know you’ll watch this fight and if you haven’t make sure you don’t miss it September 14. The fight will be shown in movie theaters across the nation as well on over 400 screens which is something that is exclusive to Mayweather fights.”

Oscar De La Hoya, President, Golden Boy Promotions

“New York, are you ready? On September 14 we will have not a good fight, but a great fight. Floyd Mayweather, the pound-for-pound champion of the world against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez who is Mexico’s biggest sports figure and Mexico’s biggest icon.”

Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports

“At SHOWTIME our goal is very simple: we want to bring you the most exciting, the most action-packed fights with boxing’s biggest stars. That’s exactly what SHOWTIME has become known for. In just the last few weeks, SHOWTIME has brought you Alfredo Angulo, Josesito Lopez, Marcos Maidana, Danny Garcia, Peter Quillin, Adrien Broner and Amir Khan. Now, SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View is bringing you the two biggest stars in the sport, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez.

“SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View is proud to be bringing you, ‘THE ONE: Mayweather vs. Canelo,’ the one fight you’ve all been waiting for. In every sport, there are certain, rare occasions when you have the best against the best. The Super Bowl, The Final Four, College Football’s National Championship…September 14 will be one of those occasions with the two biggest stars in the sport and the two biggest fan bases. We have America’s number one fighter versus Mexico’s number one fighter. We have the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the sport versus the number one new star in the sport.

“This is a must-see event and as usual SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View will be there every step of the way. From today’s press conference that is being streamed on SHOWTIME’s website to all the other remaining stops on the tour, make sure you check out SHOWTIME’s website for daily updates. As usual, ALL ACCESS will take you behind the scenes and we will be announcing the schedule for ALL ACCESS very shortly. We will see you all on September 14.”

Jose “Chepo” Reynoso, Manager of Canelo

“I just want to say we are ready for this fight. Canelo is going to train like he always does. Viva Mexico!”