San Antonio (April 3) Over 30,000 fans packing the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, April 20 for the Super Welterweight World Championship Unification showdown between Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout will have another reason to cheer, as the evening’s co-main event will feature a clash of unbeaten lightweights when Weslaco, Texas’ Omar Figueroa Jr. and Puerto Rico’s Abner Cotto square off in an explosive 10-round fight for the vacant WBC Silver Lightweight title live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®.

Canelo vs. Trout, a 12-round Super Welterweight World Championship Unification fight for Canelo’s WBC title, Trout’s WBA title and the vacant Ring Magazine title, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona andAT&T. The co-main event will be a 10-round fight between undefeated prospects Omar Figueroa Jr. of Weslaco, Texas and Abner Cotto of Caguas, Puerto Rico for the vacant WBC Silver Lightweight Championship which is presented in association with Miguel Cotto Promotions. The fights will air live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT with Canelo vs. Trout being presented in association with Greg Cohen Promotions. SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is available in Spanish on secondary audio programming (SAP).

Remaining tickets priced at $100, $25 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are available for purchase at the Alamodome box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.

A proud Texan who always shows his best for his home state fans, Weslaco’s Omar “Panterita” Figueroa Jr. (20-0-1, 16 KO’s) is a top lightweight prospect on the verge of moving into the top ten at 135 pounds. The owner of wins over top prospects Michael Perez, Ramon Ayala and Dominic Salcido during a 2012 campaign that saw him go 6-0, the 23-year-old kept the momentum going into this year, when he knocked out Henry Aurad in just 47 seconds in March in San Antonio. On April 20, he’s back and looking to match or surpass that performance against Cotto.

The second cousin of Miguel and Jose Cotto, 25-year-old Abner Cotto (16-0, 7 KO’s) has gotten off to an impressive start in the family business. A former amateur standout, Caguas’ Cotto turned professional in 2009 and has since won each of his 16 bouts. A Puerto Rican and WBC FECARBOX lightweight champion thus far, Cotto has bigger titles in his sights in the future and after an impressive seventh round technical knockout over Sergio Perez last December, Cotto knows that a victory over the undefeated Figueroa will make a statement to the boxing world that he’s ready for anything.

For information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/leijabattahPR, www.twitter.com/CaneloOficial, www.twitter.com/NoDoubtTrout, www.twitter.com/Alamodome and www.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #CaneloTrout or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOBoxing.

LOS ANGELES, March 21 – Boxing fans and sports enthusiasts have spoken to the tune of approximately 50,000 tickets purchased for the unprecedented three consecutive weekends of mega-events in April and May, all of which are promoted by Golden Boy Promotions.

The three-week marathon of championship boxing excellence begins with the WBC and WBA Super Welterweight Unification bout between Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday April 20 which is co-promoted with Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions, followed by the Unified Super Lightweight World Championship between Danny Garcia and Zab Judah at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, April 27 and the grand finale, “MAY DAY: Floyd Mayweather vs. Robert Guerrero” on Saturday, May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada which is co-promoted by Mayweather Promotions. The April 20 and April 27 SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING events will be televised live on SHOWTIME® and the May 4 “MAY DAY: Floyd Mayweather vs. Robert Guerrero” mega-event will be produced and distributed by SHOWTIME PPV®.

“The fans’ response to this amazing schedule of boxing events, which occur one right after the other, has been overwhelming,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Across the country from Brooklyn to San Antonio to Las Vegas, we have seen a rapid response from sports fans and boxing loyalists who have purchased tickets to support these terrific boxing events.”

Schaefer continued, “The public’s enthusiasm about this three week run, culminating with the return of Floyd Mayweather to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, reinforces our strong belief that if you provide and deliver competitive matches at the highest level, the public will respond enthusiastically and support this sport we love. In addition, fans across the country that cannot be there in person, can see all of these fights on SHOWTIME and SHOWTIME PPV (May 4). We are thrilled to partner with SHOWTIME to continue to provide excellent programming throughout the calendar year to those who love and appreciate the sweet science of boxing.”

Ticket sales for Canelo vs. Trout have been so overwhelming that promoters Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions will soon extend the available seating by putting additional tickets on sale. San Antonio can expect more than 30,000 fans in the building come fight night, proving once again that Texas is a hot spot for boxing aficionados.

Coming off of witnessing the record-breaking performance by IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion Bernard Hopkins on March 9 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn boxing fans are gearing up for another stacked fight card taking place Saturday, April 27 headlined by Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Danny Garcia facing Brooklyn’s own Four-Time and Two-Division World Champion Zab Judah.

The three-week lead up ends on Cinco de Mayo weekend with a nearly sold out event featuring the ring return of boxing mega-star Floyd Mayweather against Six-Time and Four Division World Champion Robert Guerrero. The event, which takes place on Saturday, May 4 at MGM Grand and will be produced and distributed live on SHOWTIME PPV, will undoubtedly sell out, once again showing Mayweather’s incredible drawing power at the box office.

About Canelo vs. Trout:

Canelo vs. Trout, a 12-round WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Championship Unification fight, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona and AT&T. The fight will air live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING (10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT) and is presented in association with Greg Cohen Promotions.

Remaining tickets priced at $100, $25 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are available for purchase at the Alamodome box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.

About Garcia vs. Judah:

Garcia vs. Judah, a 12-round bout for Garcia’s Unified Super Lightweight World Championship, is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored Corona and AT&T. In the co-featured attraction WBO Middleweight World Champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin puts his title on the line against hard-hitting Fernando Guerrero in a 12-round fight. The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins live at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Remaining tickets priced at $200, $100, $50 and $25, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are available for purchase at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling 800-745-3000.

About “May Day: Mayweather vs. Guerrero”:

“MAY DAY: Mayweather vs. Guerrero,” a 12-round fight for Mayweather’s WBC Welterweight World Championship is promoted by Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, O’Reilly Auto Parts and AT&T. The mega-event will take place Saturday, May 4 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by SHOWTIME PPV® beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT. Also featured will be Daniel Ponce de Leon vs. Abner Mares, a 12-round fight for Ponce de Leon’s WBC Featherweight World Championship.

Remaining tickets for priced at $1,500, $1,250, $800 and $600, not including applicable service charges, are on sale now with a total ticket limit of 10 per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will also be available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS (March 15, 2013) – The Texas Three-Step is over for popular, unbeaten Mexican superstar and WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez and undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout, who completed their highly successful three-city, two-day press tour in Texas on Thursday.

To infer that the three press conferences, all open to the public, were smashing successes would be an understatement.

Fans lined up around the building to get into the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas, to watch the press conference late Thursday afternoon, the final stop of the press tour. Nearly 1,000 of them had assembled in the room by the time Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya stepped to the dais to begin the proceedings.

Earlier Thursday, more than 500 fans flooded the food court at PlazAmericas Mall in Houston for the press conference. On Wednesday, the tour began in the fight’s host city of San Antonio, at the fight’s venue, the Alamodome, where approximately 1,500 fans attended.

At each location, the boxers obliged the adoring fans with autographs and posed with them for pictures.

In an eagerly anticipated matchup of talented, exciting, unbeaten boxers, Canelo (41-0-1, 30 KO’s), of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, will take on Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s), of Las Cruces, N.M., in a 154-pound world title unification fight on Saturday, April 20 at the Alamodome in San Antonio live on SHOWTIME® (10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT).

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50, $25 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale and available for purchase at the Alamodome box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Canelo vs. Trout is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and the fight is presented in association with Greg Cohen Promotions. The event is sponsored by Corona and AT&T.

Below are quotes from the boxers, members of their teams and executives, including De La Hoya, Texas boxing legend and former Two-Time World Champion Jessie James Leija and Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports, Stephen Espinoza, among others, from the three press conferences:

CANELO ALVAREZ, WBC Super Welterweight World Champion

“I’m very humbled by the attendance (at the press conferences). I get goose bumps when I get up here with everyone cheering. I want to thank you for your support. I’ll be prepared as always. We’ll be ready. Texas has a great vibe. The people here have a great vibe and that definitely helps me. It’s a pleasure to fight at the Alamodome. This place has so much history. I fight for my people. They’re my inspiration. I carry a great deal of responsibility on my shoulders, because I carry the hopes and dreams of my people. I’m undefeated and my record is thanks to my people, who support me every step of the way.

“I’m very happy to be in Texas. This is the very first time I’m fighting here and I can already tell I like it. I like San Antonio because it has so much history and so many boxing fans. I want to thank all my fans for supporting me. On April 20, if God provides, the crowd will be on my side.

“We are working hard. My team and I are focused 100 percent on my opponent. I have great respect for Austin Trout and what he has been able to achieve. This fight is a complicated one. He’s not only tough but a lefty and he also knows how to keeps his guard with his left. He’s a very intelligent fighter, young, skilled and tough. It’s not going to be an easy task to beat him, but we’re working hard and getting ready. I respect Trout outside of the ring, but once he’s in the ring, that’s a whole different thing.

“This fight for me is personal. I know Trout beat my brother. I was there that day and that made me feel helpless. Now I’ll get the chance to avenge his loss and bring him up to the ring with me when I win.

“Like in life, in sports, there are critics and skeptics. There’s always going to be someone criticizing you. To fight Trout is not going to quiet down criticism against me, but I honestly don’t mind it. I think all criticism is constructive.

“My daughter motivates me to be better and not to fail.

“I’m ready to fight Floyd Mayweather when he’s ready to fight me.”

AUSTIN TROUT, WBA Super Welterweight World Champion

“I was born in El Paso, Texas. This is where I’m from. I’ve been around Latinos all my life and I can say I feel like one of you. Boxing is never going to be dead when there are fans like this (in Texas). It’s a sport that is 200 years old, but when you have a fight like this you know it is alive and well. Mark my words, on April 20, Texas will win.

“I want to thank the fans. The fans demanded this fight and made it happen. I believe that Canelo is a great champion. I have to thank him for making this happen. I want to thank the Lord, because I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Him.

“I’m a fast, hungry champion. I don’t believe that Canelo is the second coming of Oscar De La Hoya. I do believe that I’m the better fighter. If I didn’t think I could be victorious, I wouldn’t be risking my life and limb to face this man. I wouldn’t be risking my undefeated record and my belt if I didn’t believe in myself. I’ll be victorious and I’ll go home as the unified champion.

“Someone’s ‘0’ has got to go. It sure as hell isn’t going to be mine and I’m sure he is saying the same thing. That’s the formula for a great fight. (Hip-hop artist) Drake said it best, ‘Started from the bottom, now we’re here. Started from the bottom, now my whole team’s here.’

“I know that Canelo is a hungry champion. I’m not just hungry. I’m starving. I’m ready for April 20.”

OSCAR DE LA HOYA, President of Golden Boy Promotions

“I was in San Antonio a few months ago and told Jesse James Leija and Mike Battah that we would be back. So standing here, bringing you a big mega-fight featuring Canelo Alvarez against Austin ‘No Doubt’ Trout really is a dream come true for Golden Boy Promotions and I.

“These types of fights normally take place in Las Vegas and are normally shown on pay-per-view. However, we had to bring this fight in particular to San Antonio because of the fans. It’s not on pay-per-view. It’s on SHOWTIME.

“We have over 10,000 tickets that are going to be on sale at 10 dollars each. We want to make this a historical event, but that won’t happen without the fans. Without you, it wouldn’t be possible.

“This is an opportunity for Canelo to show everyone in boxing that he is the real deal. He’s not only a champion, but can stage his own show, pull in his own fans and draw his own great ratings.

“Boxing gives hope and strength to a lot of people. Boxing is a sport that can reach and impact people. This fight is showing the world that boxing is alive and well. Boxing is strong and we have the future right here with Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout.

“When they show Canelo’s fights in Mexico, his ratings are through the roof. He is a superstar in Mexico. Fans believe in him and are 100 percent behind him because they want to see the next Mexican fighter that is going to give them the strength to move forward.

“Canelo is a hard worker and he wants to be put to the test of fighting the very best.

“This fight is no joke and that is the beauty of it. We don’t know who is going to win. This is the type of fight that we should be putting on.

“How many times have you seen two fighters that are undefeated, two fighters that are champions risk it all? You seldom see that, but on April 20, you get to see two fighters that will risk it all to unify their belts.

“Golden Boy wants to show the world that boxing doesn’t have to be in Vegas alone. Boxing will be where the fans are. That’s why we are bringing this world championship to Texas.”

JESSE JAMES LEIJA, Former World Champion and Texas Boxing Legend

“(To San Antonio fans) We brought the big fight here, now we need your help. Bring grandpa, grandma, the wife, the girlfriend, everyone. We need everyone here. We want people to say, ‘Vegas who?’ We don’t need Vegas, we need San Antonio, but we can’t do that without your support.

“I told Oscar De La Hoya to bring a fight to Texas or we’re going to get back in the ring for a rematch.

“Raul Martinez will be on the card. He will be our next world champion.

“Houston is only two-and-half-hours from San Antonio. We have a great undercard, but nothing is going to surpass Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout fighting in this championship mega-fight.

“We want to keep bringing fights to Texas. It’s great for the economy. It’s great for the sport of boxing.

“Oscar De La Hoya knows that the best boxing fans are in Texas. Boxing is on the upswing. It’s the best sport in the world and that’s because of fans like you.”

MIKE BATTAH, President of Leija and Battah Promotions

“Oscar is giving us a great opportunity to put on a fight where the real fight fans are located. We’re bringing this fight to San Antonio because we pushed to have it in Texas.

“I want to thank the new fans that have come out to our fights and I want to thank the existing fans that will show Canelo and Trout what Texas is all about because we’re fight fans.

“I’d like to thank the amateur program that has supported us throughout our fights, so we can show those amateurs what it is like to be a pro one day.

“This is where fight fans are and this is the grassroots of Texas. This wouldn’t have been possible without the fans and we know you are going to come and support these great champions on April 20.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, Executive Vice President & General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports

“At SHOWTIME, our goal is to bring boxing fans the best fighters and the biggest fights. That’s what April 20 is going to be. We’re bringing the biggest young stars and the biggest young champions to the fans on our network.

“On September 15 (2012), Canelo fought on SHOWTIME and set all-time ratings records. In December, Austin Trout faced Miguel Cotto in a fight no one thought he could win. He not only won, but that fight also set a new SHOWTIME ratings record. I know April 20 will be another record-breaking event.

“Champions are often too afraid to take tough fights. These two are stepping up to the plate and for that, they should be rewarded.”

“We had Jesse James Leija on our network for some of his biggest fights and we are proud to be working with him again.

“The last time we had a fight on our network in Texas it featured Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and we couldn’t be happier to be back for a fight of this size.

“We are approaching the biggest and best run of fights on SHOWTIME in the history of the network. On April 20 we have Canelo Alvarez vs. Austin Trout. On April 27, we have Danny Garcia vs. Zab Judah and on May 4 on SHOWTIME PPV we have Floyd Mayweather facing Robert Guerrero in a mega-fight.”

JULIAN CASTRO, Mayor of San Antonio

“San Antonio has a rich and proud boxing history. Who could forget in 1993 when (Julio Cesar) Chavez fought (Pernell) Whitaker and other great names such as (James) Leija and (Robert) Quiroga?

“Watching our great Jesse James Leija fight bout after bout was great for this city and we are thrilled he has continued to bring boxing to this city.

“San Antonio is proud to play host to another great match featuring to two great boxers in their prime – Canelo Alvarez and Austin Trout.”

MIKE SAWAYA, Alamodome Convention, Sports & Entertainment Facilities Director

“Oscar De La Hoya told me he was going to bring an event to this building that would fill up the venue. This is a boxing town, but it is also a town that loves different types of entertainment, all different sports and we are looking forward to hosting this great event. Buy those tickets and we’ll see you in April.”

ED GONZALEZ, Mayor Pro Tem of Houston

“Houston is the fourth largest city in the country and the largest city in Texas. I’m so proud to be hosting this event today here in our city.

“There are 50 boxing gyms in Houston with young kids learning the sport. Houston is a boxing city.

“We are so thrilled to have Oscar De La Hoya, Jesse James Leija and the fighters here today. Thank you for coming and inviting all of these fans to be here and experience boxing at its finest.”

JOSE “CHEPO” REYNOSO, Canelo’s Co-Manager

“I’ve been in the boxing business for many years and I’ve never seen so many boxing fans together. Texas has amazed me. The boxing fans were amazing.

“Be ready, Texas. On April 20, two undefeated world champions are going to step into the ring, but only one of them will step out as true unified champion and that is going to be our Canelo. We have two missions to accomplish on April 20…the first is to take Trout’s belt home with us and the second is to fill up the entire Alamodome.

“We ask that everyone come out to support this great Mexican champion (Canelo) on April 20.”

BOB SPAGNOLA, Austin Trout’s Manager

“We’re thrilled to be here. I knew there would be a big crowd here in San Antonio because this is a boxing town. There are boxing people here.

“The respect that these fighters are getting and the respect they are giving each other is commendable. In a sport where fighters are forced to talk (badly) about each other, these two champions are showing each other amazing amounts of respect.

“There are a lot of great boxing people in Houston. There are a lot of people that give tirelessly to youth for them to learn this sport.

“We can’t say enough about these two fighters. A lot of great fights don’t get made for one reason or another and we’re thrilled that Canelo has given Austin this opportunity.”

GREG ALVAREZ, Assistant Boxing Administrator for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

“Texas is so proud to be able to host an event of this caliber. I want to thank the people for being such great boxing fans. I also want to thank SHOWTIME for being part of this great boxing event. This is the top fight that we have in Texas and we cannot wait for April 20.’’

For information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/leijabattahPR, www.twitter.com/CaneloOficial, www.twitter.com/NoDoubtTrout, www.twitter.com/Alamodome and www.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #CaneloTrout or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOsport.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (March 13) – Unbeaten Mexican superstar and WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez and undefeated WBA Super Welterweight Champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout are set to square off in a 12-round, WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Championship Unification fight on Saturday, April 20 from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas in a fight which will be televised live on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®(10:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. PT).

Canelo vs. Trout, a 12-round WBC and WBA Super Welterweight World Championship Unification fight, is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leija & Battah Promotions and sponsored by Corona andAT&T. The fight will air live on SHOWTIME and is presented in association with Greg Cohen Promotions.

Tickets priced at $300, $150, $100, $50, $25 and $10, plus applicable taxes, fees and services charges, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Alamodome box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster locations or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Canelo, who started training for the fight in his hometown of Guadalajara before moving camp to Santa Monica, Calif., is already familiar his opponent’s fighting style and abilities as he was ringside for Trout’s December 1, 2012 victory over Miguel Cotto in New York and also watched Trout defeat his older brother Rigoberto Alvarez in Guadalajara in February of 2011.

“Austin Trout impressed me with his win over Miguel Cotto and my brother,” said Canelo, who will be making his sixth title defense against Trout. “But I feel that in boxing, it’s my time now, and I will show Trout why I am the best in the division. Champions should fight each other because that’s what true champions do. I know he will be a tough challenge, but I’m confident I will be the unified champion at the end of the night. Beating him will make a statement, and in so doing, I plan to avenge my brother’s loss to him and bring victory home to Mexico too.”

The WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Trout, whose performance over Miguel Cotto in December helped further establish him as a force to be reckoned with, is ready for his next contest against Canelo.

“I’m absolutely ready to face Canelo and all of his fans who will be out in full force in San Antonio that night,” said Trout, the 27-year old southpaw from Las Cruces, New Mexico who will be making his fifth title defense. “Although he is a true champion, I don’t believe he has had the ring experience or has faced the competition he should have in order to be able to handle the skills that I will show him when we fight April 20. I have already defeated his brother and taken his belt, and I plan on making it two for two against the Alvarez’s in my in my quest to be the best. I have no doubt that I will retain my title and takes his with me too. I can’t wait.”

“Canelo has proven with each challenge he has faced that he is getting better and has fast become a superstar in the sport not only because of his talent, but also because of his unbelievable fan base that continues to grow every time he fights,” said Oscar De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions. “Austin Trout is an incredible fighter with superb boxing skills and a great champion in his own right. I’m very excited to see what happens when these two fighters meet in the ring on April 20. Golden Boy is going back to Texas in true Texas fashion with a huge fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the home of great boxing fans who love and appreciate the sport. It’s going to be a great night for everyone involved.”

“We are very excited to work with Oscar de la Hoya, the entire Golden Boy Promotions team, Canelo Promotions and SHOWTIME on this sensational event,” said Texas boxing legend and former World Champion Jesse James Leija of Leija and Battah Promotions. “Boxing fans in Texas have a terrific opportunity to be part of a memorable evening headlined by two of the sports finest competitors.”

“At just 22 years of age, Canelo’s appeal is undeniable and still growing,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager for SHOWTIME Sports. “His first appearance on SHOWTIME last fall resulted in record ratings for SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. We are thrilled to have him headlining once again when he will face the toughest opponent of his career. Austin Trout, likewise, helped set a ratings record on our network last December when he upset future Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto with an impressive, coming-of-age performance. Canelo vs. Trout is exactly the type of fight that SHOWTIME has become known for – a match-up between two of boxing’s brightest stars in which the outcome is impossible to predict. Naturally, as a programmer, I am thrilled to deliver this world championship unification to SHOWTIME subscribers. As a fight fan, I can’t wait to be ringside at a raucous Alamodome.”

“We are pleased to join Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo Promotions and Leijah & Battah Promotions in bringing this highly coveted match-up to our city,” said Michael Sawaya, Convention, Sports, & Entertainment Facilities Director of the Alamodome. “San Antonio has long been a host for many championship events and this world title bout continues our long tradition.”

The pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 22-year-old Canelo Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) has proven himself worthy of standing side by side with his country’s modern day boxing greats, both in the ring and outside of it. A fighting phenom who has been a pro since 2005, Canelo ran through all comers on the local circuit before winning the NABF welterweight title in 2009, before beginning his attack on the international boxing scene. In 2010, Canelo had a breakout year with wins over Jose Miguel Cotto, Luciano Cuello, Carlos Baldomir and Lovemore N’dou, and by 2011 he was a world champion, defeating Matthew Hatton for the WBC Super Welterweight World Championship. Canelo, who has truly become a superstar in Mexico with millions tuning in every time he fights, has since defended his title successfully five times, defeating Ryan Rhodes, Alfonso Gomez, Kermit Cintron, Sugar Shane Mosley and Josesito Lopez. On April 20, he will look to unify the division against Austin Trout in front of an adoring crowd as he fights in Texas for the first time.

Long considered one of boxing’s most underrated gems, Las Cruces, New Mexico’s Austin “No Doubt” Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) took the long road to recognition in his pro career after a successful run as an amateur. Willing to go anywhere to fight anyone, the talented Trout built up win after win while waiting for his shot at the gold. That shot came in February of 2011 when he faced Canelo’s older brother Rigoberto for the WBA Super Welterweight World Championship. Despite fighting in Alvarez’s backyard in Guadalajara, Trout’s boxing skills prevailed as he won a 12-round decision and the title. Still looking to convince the boxing world that he was the real deal, Trout successfully defended his title with wins against David Lopez, Frank LoPorto and Delvin Rodriguez, setting up a December 2012 showdown with Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto. Again, Trout stepped up when the pressure was highest, winning a 12 round unanimous decision over Cotto in a career best performance that he hopes to top on April 20.

For information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/leijabattahPR, www.twitter.com/CaneloOficial, www.twitter.com/NoDoubtTrout, www.twitter.com/Alamodome and www.twitter.com/SHOsports, follow the conversation using #CaneloTrout or become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and www.facebook.com/SHOsport.

SAN ANTONIO – While there is no promotional formula for rising from small and local shows to large and national ones, there is perhaps a timeline: suddenly. The incremental approach that works well in most of life’s worthwhile doings does not work nearly so well in prizefighting promotion, as so many other good ideas do not work nearly so well in prizefighting promotion – wherein shortsightedness rarely finds its match in anything but cupidity. “Go large, be bold, and expect to lose” is probably good a slogan as any, and Leija-Battah Promotions certainly understands those first two.

Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake University, Leija-Battah Promotions held its final sparring session before a championship match it will make, both as promoter and challenger, on April 20, when Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fights New Mexican Austin “No Doubt” Trout at Alamodome, in the biggest consequential fight of the first half of 2013.

Is this city ready? That is a question Saturday answered incompletely. The main event certainly was not ready, or anything local promoters had control over. Golden Boy Promotions was to blame for Omar Figueroa unmanning someone named Henry Aurad in a few punches, but only insofar as a promoter overextended with television dates and fighters can be. There’s an underexplored conundrum here, one that having too large a stable, usually required by too many television commitments, can bring. It’s a thing storied matchmaker Don Chargin shared: You run out of opponents. When you have too many good fighters and they must be kept active against fighters other than your other good fighters, when your responsibility is to build fighters, not fights, appropriate opposition goes missing.

Golden Boy Promotions now finds itself often putting men like Henry Aurad on television. Top Rank, in its overstocked past, did this lots, too, but Top Rank has stropped itself in the last four months – one is tempted to hear the starter’s pistol the night Juan Manuel Marquez recalled Top Rank’s signature brand though the downsizing began months earlier – and is on the verge of having its least-active Q1 in memory.

Our Lady of the Lake University’s gymnasium was filled Saturday. OLLU is a small, old, lovely place a couple miles west – just to the Mexican side – of this city’s downtown. Any town has its ethnic enclaves, and while this one is probably the most Mexican of our country’s largest, the west side of San Antonio is even more Mexican than other parts with their enclaves of Chicanos or African-Americans or German-Americans.

Founded nearly 120 years ago by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Providence, a French order of Catholic nuns, OLLU is a school with a campus that is small but precious and home of its city’s most picturesque steeple, reminding students, or boxing aficionados as the case may be, their host is not secular. Catholicism is arguably a cultural artifact for Mexicans more than a religious one; the reevaluation of the Church the Irish, among others, now undergo is a thing Mexicans underwent in the late 1920s, when President Plutarco Elias Calles fired what might euphemistically be called a starter’s pistol of his own. Mexican Catholicism is a rich and irreverent species of Catholicism; its cultural tendency towards faith is leavened by a deeper indigenous recollection of how the faith was delivered by steel-bearing Spaniards the new God mysteriously chose as His emissaries.

OLLU is a local-knowledge spot Leija-Battah Promotions chose for a small show because it is a local promoter that understands the city in which it promotes because it is run by residents of the city. This month marks a year since Jesse James Leija, still a trainer and former prizefighter much more than a promoter, and Mike Battah, a local businessman, formed Leija-Battah Promotions and presented a Top Rank show that featured Kelly Pavlik in a corner of Alamodome called Illusions Theater.

Other shows followed, and while announced gates were encouraging, other elements were not. After Alamodome, there was a show at a dancehall followed by a pro-am at Alamodome, followed by a Freeman Coliseum show and a late-December card in an assembly hall. Throughout, there were rumblings of Leija-Battah wanting to bring Saul “Canelo” Alvarez to San Antonio. When Saturday’s show got announced in January with Henry Aurad in the main event of a card at a university wellness and activity center, though, well.

Then last week brought news Canelo was in fact en route, and not as a showcase talent against a designated opponent – the way Manny Pacquiao visited this city in 2007 and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. came in 2010 and 2012 – but in a legitimate title-unification match against a fellow champ with good a chance of winning as losing, if every scorecard were in an honest hand. Alvarez will fight Trout on the third evening of Fiesta, this city’s annual and colorful 10-day celebration of Texas independence – contextualized regularly by San Antonians as “our Mardi Gras,” which means plenty, from a live-gate perspective, when one considers Alamo City has about 400 percent New Orleans’ population.

Will Alvarez-Trout break the record set at Alamodome by Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. 20 years ago this September? No, but an attendance number above 25,000 is not out of the question. And when did those words last appear in a sentence about American-venue boxing outside Lone Star State?

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

LOS ANGELES, December 21 – This holiday season, get ready for a gift all boxing fans will love, as Golden Boy Promotions teams up with FOX Deportes to re-air classic fights for four days and nights of epic fights featuring current and future Hall of Famers, world champions and rising stars engaging in some of the most pivotal bouts of their careers.

Included in these marathons are “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, Julio “JC” Cesar Chavez, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, Erik “El Terrible” Morales, Marco Antonio “Baby Faced Assasin” Barrera, Miguel Cotto, Sugar Shane Mosley, Canelo Alvarez, Abner Mares, Ricky “Hitman” Hatton and Danny “Swift” Garcia, just to name a few.

The action begins this Saturday, December 22 at 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT with the following lineup:

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Pernell Whitaker – 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT

Manny Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera I – 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley I – 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT

Erik Morales vs. Pablo Cesar Cano – 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT

Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez III – 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT

Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley – 8:00 p.m.ET/5:00 p.m. PT

Floyd Mayweather vs. Victor Ortiz – 9:00 p.m.ET/6:00 p.m. PT

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad – 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT

The next day of classics begins on Tuesday, December 25 at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT with 10 more bouts:

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey – 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT

Shane Mosley vs. Ricardo Mayorga – 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT

Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Oscar De La Hoya – 3:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT

Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton – 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas – 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT

Israel Vazquez vs. Rafael Marquez II – 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad – 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT

Amir Khan vs. Marcos Maidana – 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT

Canelo Alvarez vs. Ryan Rhodes – 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT

Canelo Alvarez vs. Mathew Hatton – 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT

On December 29, it’s a Saturday night doubleheader featuring:

Abner Mares vs. Vic Darchinyan – 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT

Danny Garcia vs. Nate Campbell – 11:00 p.m. ET/8:00 p.m. PT

Finally, on Saturday, January 5, it’s another marathon of elite level boxing action with the following bouts:

Rigoberto Alvarez vs. Austin Trout – 6:00 p.m. ET/3:00 p.m. PT

Lamont Peterson vs. Victor Ortiz – 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT

Amir Khan vs. Paulie Malignaggi – 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT

Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley -9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Felix Trinidad – 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT

For more information on Golden Boy Promotions, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxingor visit us on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page. For more information on FOX Deportes visit www.FOXDeportes.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FOXDeportes or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FOXDeportes.

The other night Mexican Saul “Canelo” Alvarez made his ringwalk to a song from the American movie “Rocky IV.” If you were thinking Crossover Appeal, well done. I’ve long thought there was a better song for him, though: “Güero Canelo” by Calexico, an Arizona band.

But then I checked the lyrics. The song might be about a Tucson restaurant and the general crime that happens in the southern part of its city, or maybe not. Whatever it’s about, “Güero Canelo” features an exhaustive list of narcotics. It’s probably better, then, that a Mexican star not precede his performances with a song like that.

Saturday night in the Mexican state of Veracruz in a venue called Estadio Beto Avila, Jalisco’s Alvarez won a unanimous decision over South African Lovemore N’dou by scores of 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109. N’dou fought like a good sparring partner should, trying to win no more than 30 of the match’s 2,160 seconds. And the Veracruzanos went home certain they’d seen a future great.

Since we won’t know about that for a long time, let’s go back to the Calexico tune.

Did you catch 2004’s “Collateral” with Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx? If so, “Güero Canelo” was the song that played for the dancing Sinaloans in the scene at El Rodeo night club. If not, here’s a touch of back story.

Vincent is a hit man played by Cruise. He climbs in a taxi driven by Max, a cabbie played by Jamie Foxx. Max learns the destinations to which he is chauffeuring Vincent are actually hits, witnesses for the prosecution in a drug case set to begin the next day, and demurs. Eventually, he also trashes Vincent’s witness work-ups, with two hits to go. Vincent sends Max into a Mexican club called El Rodeo to pretend he is Vincent and retrieve work-ups on the two remaining witnesses.

And this is where most American moviegoers meet actor Javier Bardem for the first time. Bearded and elegant, Bardem plays a Mexican narcotraficante named Felix. Enraged by “Vincent’s” having lost the work-ups, Felix tells a wonderfully imaginative story about Santa Claus’s special helper in Mexico named “Pedro el Negro.” And Bardem shows incredible presence.

Despite being the first Spanish actor ever nominated for an Oscar, four years before, Bardem was cast in what might have been a five-minute throw-away scene in the middle of an action movie in 2004 – his first American work in two years, at the time.

Not exactly Saul Alvarez’s career path.

After a shaky opening to his own American debut in May on the undercard of “Who R U Picking?” – when the 19-year-old Mexican was temporarily walked down Queer Street by Jose Miguel Cotto (yes, the other Cotto) – Alvarez rallied and won by TKO in round 9. A couple months ago, Alvarez also blasted his way through Carlos Baldomir. Saturday he was a red-headed rock star whose girlfriend got about as much camera time as N’dou’s corner did.

That old saw about nothing attracting a crowd like a crowd perfectly captures the reflexivity that feeds the hype machine and so, too, aptly captures Alvarez’s celebrity. Fight aficionados, of course, want an organic star, someone who learns his craft in obscurity before emerging properly seasoned, preferably in an upset – someone like Michael Medina, Dmitry Pirog or Sergio Martinez. Promoters, and the casual fans they hope to feed, want something else entirely.

They want someone who’s equipped for immediate stardom if not pugilistic excellence. Someone like, say, Alvarez. Golden Boy Promotions, whose eye for talent gets blackened by reality here and there, needed a Mexican prospect to offset rival promoter Top Rank’s cynical celebration of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., son of Mexico’s fistic legend. The country’s other famous Juniors all had a loss or three on their records. And HBO hates that.

“Canelo” is good-looking, undefeated, and of Mexican origin, so he became the next Oscar De La Hoya.

Look, Alvarez is a good fighter. He has uncommonly powerful legs for a junior middleweight. His footwork is serviceable. He counters right hands fairly well after nibbling on them. His punches are straight and committed.

But he’s slow-handed more than heavy-handed. N’dou, a 39-year-old man whose best days came at 140 pounds, was not in trouble for a moment against the 154-pound Alvarez, Saturday. Alvarez showed characteristics of a young fighter accustomed to blowing through overmatched opponents. He threw lead hooks and paused after they landed, expecting N’dou to be felled instantly.

Perhaps Alvarez will become Mexico’s next legend. Right now, though, his celebrity feels wholly manufactured.

A month before his 18-line performance as the narcotraficante Felix, Javier Bardem arrived in the United States as a semi-obscure foreign actor. He spent five weeks perfecting the differences between English spoken with a Mexican accent and English spoken with his Spanish one. Then he made an unforgettable performance. And today, American moviegoers know him as the Oscar-winning actor from “No Country for Old Men” – a role that still didn’t come for three years after “Collateral.”

Bardem’s celebrity feels a bit more authentic by comparison, doesn’t it?

One other thing about “Canelo”: He’s only 20 years-old, and he’s had 36 professional fights. That point was rehearsed and exuberantly retold numerous times by HBO Latino’s commentators Saturday. Well.

The last time we heard about such a young sensation from Mexico, his name was Julio Cesar Garcia, and his nickname was “Baby Face.” Garcia was 40-2 (34 KOs) on his 20th birthday. He’s 1-2 in the three years since then. And before you think De La Hoya will be the difference for Alvarez, remember that Garcia had Roberto Duran.

Saturday’s fight, lastly, was Alvarez’s second defense of an esteemed WBC Silver title. WBC Silver, you’re thinking, who else has a silly title like that? Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., actually.

A proposal, then: Alvarez and Chavez Jr. fight to determine whom we should take seriously going forward – and the loser stays in Mexico to defend the silver.

Bart Barry can be reached at bbarry@15rounds.com. Additionally, his book, “The Legend of Muhammad Ali,” co-written with Thomas Hauser, can be purchased here.

According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, hot shot Welterweight prospect Saul Alvarez will take on former undisputed Welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir on September 18th as part of the Shane Mosley – Sergio Mora Pay per View at Staples Center in Los Angeles

“When Alvarez recently fought in Mexico, there was an average between six and eight people per home watching this fight,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer, referring to statistics he said he received from Mexican network Televisa. “The fight got a 17.8 rating, which is equivalent to 600,000 homes watched by 60 million people.

“Canelo has reached superstar status in Mexico. The ratings he gets on the national Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, are unheard off and in line with what the national soccer team gets.”

“I’m glad to be on such an important card with such good fighters,” Alvarez said. “It’s business as usual when I step into the ring. I fight with desire. I hope everyone comes out that night to watch because this is a really exciting night of boxing.”

Said Jose Reynoso, Alvarez’s manager and trainer: “This is a very important date. As Mexicans, we are celebrating the bicentennial of Mexican Independence. [Alvarez] is No. 1 in Mexico and now we want to conquer the world. A big part of that is being successful in L.A.”

“Carlos Baldomir is a fighter with an iron will and iron chin. He will come to Los Angeles and try to derail the fast rise of Canelo Alvarez,” Schaefer said. “He is on a mission to come and capture the American market and display his talent and excitement at Staples Center on Sept. 18. He realizes that Los Angeles is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico and wants to come and show what he is all about.”

Said Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya: “I walked the streets myself the other day in Mexico where I watched Alvarez fight [on July 10]. I was asking people from all walks of life, ‘Have you heard of Canelo Alvarez?’ And everyone answers with a glowing face [and said], ‘He’s our next promise. He’s our next guy.’”

Floyd Mayweather 146 – Shane Mosley 147
Saul Alvarez 150 – Jose Miguel Cotto 149

Undefeated nineteen year old, Saul Alvarez talks about his American PPV debut against Jose Miguel Cotto this Saturday night on the Mayweather – Mosley PPV card

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