Mayweather and Canelo Take DC

In the second stop of their 11 city, two country promo tour, Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez did their staredowns in DC, at the Howard Theatre on Tuesday.

I checked in with Showtime boxing boss Stephen Espinoza for his take on this appearance.

“DC was even more boisterous than NYC,” he reported, one day after the fighters hyped the Sept. 14 clash in Times Square. “Standing room only crowd that started lining up early this morning. Met one family that drove five hours and lined up at 5 a.m. to make sure they got in.”

Did he get the sense that they are getting on each others’ nerves at all? Or does he think there will be no trash talk for the whole tour?

“They’re still feeling each other out,” Espinoza said, “but I already see some signs of conflict.”

Here is the press release that went out after the appearance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 25, 2013) – A capacity crowd of well-over 1,000 people filled Washington, D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre on Tuesday for the second stop of the unprecedented 11-city, two-country media tour for “THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO.”

Eight-Time, Five-Division World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez are in the midst of their nine-day tour to discuss their Saturday, September 14 mega-fight from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME PPV^®.

Mayweather showed his appreciation for his strong following in D.C., signing autographs for over two hours and posing for pictures with fans.

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), are on sale now. 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.

The media tour continues tomorrow, Wednesday, June 26, with stops in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Chicago.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER:

“D.C. is a fight town. It’s been so kind to me in my career. The fans have supported me here since I turned pro and today’s turnout was nothing different.

“Canelo is a young, strong champ. It’s obvious he’s done something right to get to this level. He’s a guy I know I can’t overlook. When guys face Floyd Mayweather it’s a total different level. I’m pretty sure he’ll be in tip-top condition. I need to go out there and be at my best and stick to the game plan.

“To be the best you have to fight the best and Canelo is one of the best fighters out there at this particular time. That’s why this fight is called ‘THE ONE.’”

CANELO ALVAREZ:

“Everything is different…big name, clever fighter. It’s the best fighter, the best venue, the best network. Austin Trout was a good fighter, but this is different. You can see with everyone here with the fans and the media. It’s not just a fight, but a big event.

“This was the next step to get Mayweather. I’m the type of fighter that if you give me someone who is better than me, it’s motivating. It gets the real Canelo. Trout was OK. He was a good fighter, but he didn’t impose his will on me. He didn’t bring out the best Canelo.Mayweather is the guy.”