As it is tradition now in the United States, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations usually include a big boxing event involving of course, a Mexican fighter. This year it includes not one but two Mexican warriors, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Julio César Chávez Jr., the fight will take place on Saturday, May 6 at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Canelo Alvarez is one of boxing’s biggest stars today, a true idol in Mexico who draws a huge crowd for each of his fights; Julio César Chávez Jr. is the son of a legend and a former world champion that has been looking for an opportunity to shine again.

When it comes to betting, Canelo is the favorite to win, but many are banking on Chávez to pull the upset, considering his size; the fight was agreed on a catchweight of 164.5 pounds, which means Canelo is coming up in weight while Chávez Jr. is going down on weight. A lot has to be said about this. Those that understand what boxing is all about know that the preparation of a fighter and how he/she makes weight is determinant to the result of the fight.

Chávez Jr. has had problems in the past making weight, mainly because he lacks discipline, he is obviously receiving the best training and he should be taking this opportunity seriously, he knows this is his chance to shine again, but even if he makes weight tomorrow (Friday), he will still be the bigger man in the ring on Saturday, and this works for his advantage, as long as he is able to make the weight cut without many sacrifices, otherwise he might be a bit too drained.

Canelo, on the other hand, has the discipline that Jr. lacks and then some, it is that discipline that got him to where he is now. Canelo moving up on weight has to be careful not to sacrifice on speed, since he will depend a lot on his ability to move fast to take the win over a bigger and probably stronger Chávez.

Both fighters are skillful, Canelo has improved his boxing skills along the years, specially by getting in the ring with Mayweather, that loss possibly taught him more than any of his previous fights or training sessions. Chávez Jr. is not as talented as his father, and probably will never get to that level, living up to that expectation has to be hard for him, but he is strong, he has proven he can take a punch and he has size, reach and power on his side.

Canelo vs. Chávez Jr. is a fight that you cannot miss, these two are not friends, they both want to prove a point, they want to make Mexico proud, and that is always the recipe for a great fight.

Canelo vs. Chávez Jr. will be shown in the United States in HBO Boxing, in Costa Rica you can watch it in cable in Combate Space (53 in Tigo and 39 Cabletica) starting at 8 p.m. local time.