This Saturday, September 13, the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford could go down as one of the best ever.
Two of the best boxers in the world today will face each other at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and will relive one of the greatest rivalries in the ring: Mexico vs. the United States.
Both countries have produced great fighters and fights that have change the history of boxing.
Therefore, a day before the fight between Canelo and Crawford, we remember some of the best fights between Mexicans and Americans
Jose Luis Castillo vs. Diego Corrales (2005)
On May 7, 2005, Mexican Jose Luis Castillo and American Diego Corrales had what many consider to be the “best fight of the century”.
Above all, the 10th round stood out, which was described by many as the “best of all time”. In that 10th episode, with only 15 seconds gone, a short left hook sent Corrales to the canvas and the referee took his count to eight
It took just 12 seconds of action for a Castillo combination to knock Corrales down again, but the referee finished the count at eight
When Castillo tried to finish the fight, Corrales came out of the darkness and unleashed a combination of punches that left Castillo on the ropes. The referee had no choice but to end the fight and give the victory to the American
Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Meldrick Taylor I (1990)
On March 17, 1990, Julio Cesar Chavez scored one of the greatest victories in Mexican boxing history.
Taylor dominated practically every round, but in the last round the Mexican claw came out and Julio Cesar knocked out the great Meldrick Taylor with only two seconds on the clock.
Thus, Chavez unified the WBC and IBF super lightweight titles.
Humberto Gonzalez vs. Michael Carbajal (1993)
On March 13, 1993, Mexican Humberto ‘Chiquita’ Gonzalez and American Michael ‘Manitas de Piedra’ Carbajal gave the best fight of their historic trilogy. Such was the expectation of this fight that they became the first lightweights to earn a million dollars
‘Chiquita’ started the fight with everything and sent ‘Manitas de Piedra’ to the canvas in the second round and in the fifth. Everything pointed to the Mexican taking the victory, but in the seventh round ‘Manitas de Piedra’ lived up to his nickname and knocked out ‘Chiquita’.
The fight was very violent and was named the best of 1993.
Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Pernell Whitaker (1993)
On September 10, 1993, Julio Cesar Chavez faced ‘Sweet Pea’ Whitaker in front of 60,000 people. The American, a master of defense, destroyed Chavez’s offense and was the clear winner, but it was not to be
At the end of the 12 rounds, the scorecards read 115-115, 115-115 and 115-113. Only one judge had given the victory to De La Hoya and the other two scored a draw, so Whitaker kept his belts
The result of this fight was one of the great controversies in boxing and has fueled the rivalry between Mexico and the United States in the ring. The result was branded a “robbery” by the American media.
Other notable fights between Mexicans and Americans include:
- Tommy Hearns vs. Pipino Cuevas (1980)
- Floyd Mayweather vs. Jose Luis Castillo (2002)
- Antonio Margarito vs. Shane Mosley (2009)
Is Canelo vs. Crawford the next big fight?
The fight between Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford already has all the ingredients to become one of the most important fights in boxing history
The fight is already the third biggest fight in the history of the sport. Only Mayweather-Pacquiao (2015) and Mayweather-McGregor (2017) have grossed more money from the box office
Crawford comes into this fight with an undefeated record of 41-0, while Canelo has a record of 63-2-2. The American moved up two weight classes to fight the Mexican, which is unusual
Despite what was thought, the only belt that will be at stake in this fight will be the WBC (World Boxing Council) in the super middleweight category, according to official sources
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