It’s Official: Mayweather-Canelo Set For Sept. 14 At MGM Grand On SHOWTIME PPV

LAS VEGAS (June 24, 2013) – The most compelling and anticipated fight in boxing is officially set as the sport’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, undefeated Eight-Time, Five-Division World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather will face undefeated Mexican star and Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez in “THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO” on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, live onSHOWTIME PPV^®.

The marquee matchup was initially announced by Mayweather via his Twitter account on May 29 setting the sports world abuzz.  The bout will be a Super Welterweight World Championship contested for the WBC, WBA Super, WBA and Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championships on Mexican Independence Day weekend, one of the two biggest weekends on the boxing calendar.  The fight will be promoted by Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo Promotions.

The event is sponsored by Corona, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Valvoline and will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV^® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.  The event can be heard in Spanish using secondary audio programming (SAP).

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), go on sale Tuesday, June 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT.  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.

Mayweather, who usually campaigns at 147 pounds, chose the younger and bigger Canelo as his opponent for the second bout of his new contract with Showtime Networks Inc. and its parent company, CBS Corporation.

“I picked Canelo because he deserves the chance and is the best opponent possible for me at this time,” said Mayweather, who is coming off of a near shutout win on May 4 over Six-Time and Four-Division World Champion Robert Guerrero.  “When I signed my new deal with Showtime and CBS, I said I was going to stay active and fight the best fighters and I am keeping my word.  I looked at several different fighters and decided to pick Canelo because he can give me a great fight and one the fans are going to appreciate.  Sure it’s a risk to fight a guy that is younger and bigger than me, but I love taking risks.  Be ready because I’m in fantastic shape and I’m going to train even harder for this fight than I did for my last one.  He might be a big, young, strong and talented champion, but my experience and work ethic make me believe that I’m that much better and no one in boxing can beat me right now.”

Canelo is coming off of a unanimous decision win over then WBA World Champion Austin Trout in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 40,000 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 20.  The young champion has been soliciting to fight Mayweather for some time and is excited to challenge boxing’s best fighter in what could be a career-defining fight for the Mexican superstar.

“I’m ready for the big challenges and now I have to prove it against Floyd Mayweather on September 14,” said Canelo. “I said that I wanted to fight the best and here I am in front of the best pound-for-pound fighter, who I respect for his achievements, but on September 14, I will write a new page in boxing history because I’m going to be victorious.  This fight is for all of my fans, my family and of course for Mexico because we’re fighting on the weekend of Mexico’s Independence.  I’ve waited so long for this and my only option is to WIN!”

“It’s a done deal and I commend Floyd for selecting Canelo Alvarez as his next challenge,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions.  “Floyd is a great champion who has earned the right to control the destiny of his career.  To select a young, strong and bigger opponent in Canelo, who has proven he is at the championship level with his success to date, is just another indication of Floyd’s love for the sport and the fans that embrace him every time he steps in the ring. It’s his legacy on the line September 14 and I have no doubt that he will be victorious again.”

“This is THE ONE.  The one fight everyone wants to see as Mayweather is the best ONE ever and no ONE has ever been able to find a way to beat him,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions.  “Will he stay undefeated or will Canelo be the first ONE to beat him?  My hat goes off to Floyd for accepting the challenge of a young, strong and undefeated fighter like Canelo and my hat goes off to Canelo for agreeing to fight the best fighter in the world. These are modern day gladiators who know how to entertain and on September 14, the world will stop and watch to see who will be THE ONE!  Mayweather vs. Canelo is without doubt ONE of the biggest boxing events of all-time.”

“The response to the announcement of this event, from all corners of sports and entertainment, has been overwhelming,” said Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager, SHOWTIME Sports.  “It’s a natural response when the two most skilled and most popular athletes in a sport face off against each other.  I commend both Floyd and Canelo for making the best fight possible.  Neither man ever waivered in their desire to give the fans what they’ve been clamoring for.” 

“We look forward to hosting one of the biggest boxing events in recent years over Mexican Independence Day weekend,” said Richard Sturm, president of sports and entertainment for MGM Resorts International.  “These two undefeated athletes will put on a spectacular show, guaranteeing boxing fans a thrilling, action-packed night from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.”

Undefeated Floyd “Money” Mayweather, (44-0, 26 KO’s), an eight-time world champion in five weight divisions, remains boxing’s biggest attraction, wowing crowds and generating remarkable pay-per-view numbers every time he steps into the ring.  During Mayweather’s already extraordinary career, he has amassed wins over world champions including Genaro Hernandez, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, Zab Judah, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, Miguel Cotto and most recently Robert Guerrero, marking the 44^th win of his storied career.  Over the course of his participation in pay-per-view events Mayweather has generated more than 10.6 million buys and nearly $650 million in pay-per-view revenue.  He averages more than one million pay-per-view buys per event, the highest pay-per-view buy average of any boxer in history.  Mayweather, the world’s highest paid athlete in any sport (Sports Illustrated, 2013), co-headlined the single biggest pay-per-view boxing event in history when he fought Oscar De La Hoya in 2007.  In addition, Mayweather has appeared in the sport’s four biggest non-heavyweight pay-per-view events.

At only 22 years of age, the pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Canelo Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) has emerged as a Mexican icon, standing side-by-side with his country’s greatest sporting legends.  His fights on Mexican television network Televisa routinely garner record ratings.  In Sept. 2012, Canelo set a new ratings record for boxing on SHOWTIME in his first bout on the network.  A fighting phenom, Canelo has fought professionally since 2005 when he was only 15 years old.  The powerful puncher tore through all comers on the local circuit in Mexico before winning the NABF welterweight title in 2009.  He then began his attack on the international boxing scene.  In 2010, Canelo had a breakout year with victories over Jose Miguel Cotto, Luciano Cuello and former World Champions Carlos Baldomir and Lovemore N’dou.  By 2011, he earned his first world championship by defeating Matthew Hatton for the WBC Super Welterweight World Championship.  Canelo has since defended his title successfully six times defeating Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez, Kermit Cintron, Sugar Shane Mosley, Josesito Lopez and, most recently, with a spirited unanimous decision win over Austin Trout, setting up his fight against Mayweather.