Weighing in at 154 pounds flat, in the AT&T Arena in Houston, Texas. Standing at 5 feet, 9 inches, with a reach of 70 inches and a half. His record is 48 wins, 1 loss and 1 draw. He hails from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He is well known by his alias rather than his real name. He faced off with undefeated English boxer Liam “Beefy” Smith (23-1-1) on September 15, 2016, for their fight the next day. His name, is Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

By the 9th round, both fighters have thrown a fury of punches. Smith was knocked down twice: once in the 7th round with a left hook to the head and once more with a hook to the body in the 8th round. The bell rings for round 9 to begin and here comes Smith, guns blazing. He lands two jabs and a left hook. Alvarez steps back to the ropes as Smith begins his fury of punches. He misses a left hook but lands a straight right and a jab. Alvarez steps forward with two right uppercuts which don’t land. Smith steps back and comes forward, right elbow tucked up against his body; his body is a center of focus for Alvarez, as Alvarez is almost a craftsmen for the legendary Mexican punch, “gancho al higado”, translated in English as “hook to the liver”. Smith throws two jabs, which don’t land; his right elbow raises when he throws a jab, a keypoint in what would soon be his demise. Alvarez taps Smith on the chin with a jab and right hand. Smith steps back and comes in with three jabs, a right hand, a left hook, which all land on the temple of Alvarez. Alvarez, momentarily stunned, responds with a right uppercut. Smith lands another left hook and a jab. As soon as Alvarez sees Smith throw his jab, he sees his opening. Alvarez fixes his body weight as he throws a straight right, puts his weight on his left foot and loads up on a perfect left hook to the body, which finally, knocks out the undefeated English boxer, Liam “Beefy” Smith.

The knockout wasn’t the climax of the HBO Pay-Per-View bout, though, The climax of the bout came during the post fight interview with Alvarez and Max Kellerman, one of boxing’s most favorite and notable commentator.

“Okay, here comes the obligatory GGG question,” Max Kellerman starts, as the crowd begins to roar with an applause, “which you’re going to be asked at every fight, until that fight happens. Last fight, he also had an aggressive style that promises to make a great fight with you. After your last fight I asked you about him, you said ‘I don’t mess around’, I’m paraphrasing. While no one questions your willingness to fight, your promoter (Oscar De La Hoya CEO of Golden Boy Promotions) seems reluctant to make that fight right away. You seem to be going along with that plan and I believe the boxing world will like to know why.”

“Listen, I’m not scared of anyone,” Alvarez responds as the crowd cheers, “I was born for this. Even though a lot of people may not like it, I’m the best boxer right now. I thank my fans for that. To answer your question, about a month ago, we offered Golovkin 3 times as much to make the fight. I didn’t say it sooner because I respect my rivals that’s why I’m telling you now, but about a month ago we offered him 3 times as much for the fight to happen. We’re just waiting for him to respond and the fight is on.”

“Because you’ve shown throughout your career, in almost recklessness, in terms of who you would fight,” begins Kellerman, “even when it doesn’t make sense that you would fight a guy very dangerous, without a big payday, yet you’ve done it. How does it feel that your promoter seems to have a plan that postpones the GGG fight and to the fans, to some, looks like you’re ducking GGG, as though you’re taking a bullet for your promoter?”

“Like I said,” Canelo starts, a bit confused, “we’re a team, we’re a team so I don’t blame anyone or the promoter. We’re a team, so I don’t fear anyone. I’ve been a professional boxer since age 16 and I’ve fought nothing but the very best, I’ve made history. Like I said before, a lot of people might not like it but I am one of the best boxers right now. ¡Viva Mexico!”

Alvarez stormed out of the ring with his entourage after Kellerman went straight to the point and put Alvarez, his team and his promoter on the spot. His promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, is a master of deceit. He has been playing the angles in boxing and has been accused of fixing fights as well. Alvarez believes he’s the best boxer in the world, with a knockout percentage of 60%, while his rival Gennady “GGG” Golovkin is undefeated and has a knockout percentage of 90%, the highest of any current titleholder.

Alvarez claims to have “offered” Golovkin “three times as much” to make the fight possible. Golovkin posted a picture on Instagram after the post fight interview with the caption, “I didn’t expect that Smith punched so hard and that @Canelo would talk that nonsense after the fight.” Golden Boy Promotions claimed that they offered Golovkin “eight-figures” to let the fight happen, something K2 Promotions denied. K2 Promotions claimed there has been “little contact” between both promotions to begin the road to the fight.

Golden Boy says that if the fight was to happen, the fight would be set for September of 2017 and that both fighters would have to fight two opponents from now, until then. A mandatory fighter would be Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs (32-1-0) for Alvarez, which will be a challenge as Jacobs leads 2nd, after Golovkin, with knockout percentage, toppling 2nd on the list with a knockout percentage of 88%.

Nothing can guarantee this possible fight of the century between Golovkin and Alvarez. Let’s just hope K2 Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions can come to a compromise to finally give the fans of the middleweight division the fight they’ve been waiting for!