Alvarez in a Mexican civil war

Boxing purists have a treat in store

We won’t get quite the glitz and glamour of last weekend’s Joshua win over Klitschko, but if that blockbuster in London was one for the casual fight fans, this weekend’s showpiece is very much catered towards the purists out there.

Two of the biggest names in Mexico go head-to-head on Saturday evening at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as Saul Alvarez battles Julio Cesar Chavez. If the mention of those two gladiators meeting in the ring doesn’t make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, it matters not, we’re in for a war of epic proportions all the same.

Best of British not good enough

26-year-old Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring for the first time since making light work of Britain’s Liam Smith in Texas last summer. The fans’ favourite got rid of Beefy in nine brutally devastating rounds, dropping him in the seventh, eighth and then finishing in the ninth.

In the outing before, another Brit was given similar treatment, Amir Khan battered into submission in six rounds, after bulking up to middleweight for the money, which was a ridiculous move. Khan may have thought his hand speed and boxing skills would’ve seen him through, but it’s impossible to keep the fighting pride of Jalisco off all night, unless, of course, you’re Floyd Mayweather.

Canelo seeking a hat-trick of KO wins

The self-proclaimed Best Ever dealt Saul his only career defeat back in 2013 when taking a majority decision, but the margin of victory was much greater than the scorecards suggest, as just about everyone will remember. Alvarez now has a career record of 48 wins, one draw and that single defeat to Money.