Cinco de Mayo Fights Have Run the Gamut from Stupendous to Stinky  

Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates  the victory of the Mexican Army over the invading French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, has actually evolved into a bigger cause for celebration in the United States than in most communities in Mexico. In Las Vegas, casino owners have seized on this development, commercializing the holiday weekend with many events aimed at their Mexican clientele.

In Mexico, boxing is the second most popular sport behind soccer. No one in Las Vegas has yet figured out a way to stage an internationally important soccer match in the city on Cinco de Mayo weekend, but a big boxing match has become a staple on this holiday and again on Mexican Independence Day weekend in September.

The latest iteration goes Saturday, May 4, when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the biggest draw in boxing, attempts to add another title belt to his collection at the expense of IBF world middleweight title-holder Daniel Jacobs. But if this fight is to stand out in memory, it will be because Alvarez and Jacobs put on a rousing good show. Years from now, no one will remember what hardware was up for grabs.

Since the advent of big fights on Cinco de Mayo weekend, there have been several spine-tingling thrillers and several big fat yawns. Let’s re-visit a few, starting with the good stuff.

Stupendous

CORRALES vs. CASTILLO (2005)

The first meeting between Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo was hands down the best Cinco De Mayo Weekend fight ever and much more. It was the Fight of the Year, the Fight of the Decade, and stands as the Fight of the Century until a better one comes along.

This was a unification fight in the lightweight division. Corrales, the son of a Columbian father and a Mexican-American mother, held the WBO belt. Castillo, who fought out of Mexicali, owned the WBC strap. But a fight this intense, with such dramatic momentum swings, needed no imprimaturs to certify it as an all-time classic.

Here we are in the 10^th frame, looking on as Corrales visits the canvas for the second time, disgorging his mouthpiece, both of his eyes swollen nearly shut, looking all the world like a cooked goose. No one would have faulted referee Tony Weeks if he had stopped it right here.

And here we are a few moments later with Corrales crashing home a series of wicked punches with Castillo trapped on the ropes, out on his feet, forcing Weeks to intervene. The crowd, which had given both fighters numerous standing ovations during the course of the bout, was dumbstruck with awe.

PACQUIAO vs. MARQUEZ (2004)

This was the first of what would be four meetings, a trilogy plus one. And had the first round gone a few seconds longer, Marquez likely wouldn’t have survived and one of boxing’s greatest rivalries would have never been born.

Manny Pacquiao was moving up in weight. This was his first fight as a featherweight. Juan Manuel Marquez, from the gritty Iztacalco district of Mexico City, was a two-belt featherweight champion.

The younger man by six years, Pacquiao went to post the slightest of favorites in a near “pick-‘em” affair. Those odds looked way out of whack when PacMan knocked Marquez to the canvas three times in the opening round. But the Mexican, who returned to his corner in severe distress, had amazing recuperative powers. By the third round he was battling the Filipino on even terms and he dominated the second half of the fight.

The bout went to the scorecards where there was a great disparity. One judge had Pacquiao up by five points and the other favored Marquez by the same margin. The tie-breaker, as it were, produced a tie, a 113-113 tally. The fight went into the books as a draw.

The 12^th round, with the crowd standing throughout, was outstanding. “They’re probably not the final three minutes that Marquez and Pacquiao will see of each other,” said Dan Rafael prophetically.

Stinkers

MAYWEATHER vs. PACQUIAO (2015)

The jury was still out on Manny Pacquiao following his first fight with Juan Manuel Marquez but he grew into a superstar, cementing his status as one of the all-time greats with back-to-back-to back wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Miguel Cotto in 2008/09. His match with Floyd Mayweather was the most anticipated fight since the first meeting between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1971.

To say that Mayweather vs. Pacquiao broke the Nevada record for gate receipts would be a great understatement. It shattered the record by a country mile. A paid attendance of 16,129 produced a gate of $72,198,500. That’s an average of $4,476 per ticket! Those that were comped included some of the biggest gamblers on the planet, men known to risk as much as $10,000 on a single hand of baccarat.

This wasn’t a bad fight if you can appreciate Mayweather’s defensive wizardry. But it was a fight without an indelible moment, all sizzle and no steak, pardon the cliché.

It came out that Pacquiao was damaged goods. Four days after the fight he underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Lawsuits were filed against various parties for fraud because the injury wasn’t disclosed before the fight. In several cities, law firms took out newspaper ads saying that those that purchased the fight on PPV ($99 was the standard rate for high-definition) might be entitled to compensation. There is no record that anyone received so much as a refund.

ALVAREZ vs. CHAVEZ JR. (2017)

This all-Mexico showdown found Canelo battling the son of Mexican boxing royalty. It was an attractive pairing as evident by the turnout, 20,510, but it wasn’t much of a battle. The son, who never fought with a sense of urgency, was a pale imitation of his old man and Canelo won every round on all three scorecards without going full bore. The last three rounds were contested amidst a cacophony of boos.

This was the last Cinco de Mayo fight, the 2018 renewal evaporating when the Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Canelo Alvarez for a failed a drug test.

And so what will see on Saturday, a fight reminiscent of the best Cinco de Mayo fights or a fight that falls toward the ugly end of the spectrum? Hopefully the ghost of Diego Corrales will be in the building but that’s asking a lot.

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