Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez brought their traveling circus to the Chicago Theatre on Wednesday evening and the 2,200 fans, some of whom waited since early morning cranked up the as the two fighters promised plenty of excitement when they meet in Las Vegas on Sept. 14.
The crowd got loud when promoter Oscar De La Hoya, whose Golden Boy Promotions is assisting Mayweather Promotions with the production, appeared on stage. The cheering grew louder when Alvarez could be seen on a screen standing in the back of the theater. He couldn’t help but smile. Then he made his way up the aisle as if he was about to enter a ring. No stranger to crowds, Alvarez drew 40,000 to his last fight in April at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
While the crowd was decidedly pro-Alvarez, there was plenty of cheering when Mayweather made a similar entrance up another aisle moments later.
Then the two super welterweights stood nose to nose for the customary photo shoot.
The loudest moment of the evening might have been when Mayweather repeated “Hard work,” and his fans responded “Dedication” over and over.
The fight is titled “The One” because “it’s the one fight everyone wants,” said Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer.
Mayweather is moving up from welterweight, while super welterweight Alvarez will move down two pounds to 152, but his WBA and WBC titles will be at stake.
Seats at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas sold out in one day, for a take of nearly $20 million, but most of the money will come from pay per view on Showtime and from closed circuit showings at bars and restaurants, Schaefer said. Some movie theaters also will show the fight as they did in the salad days of closed circuit in the 1960s and ’70s. The suggested pay-per-view price will be $64.95, but closed-circuit tickets might be in the $20 range he said.
Chicago was the fourth stop on a nine-city tour, but judging by the reaction so far, Schaefer said he’s beginning to gain confidence the fight will break sales records.
Nate Jones, a former Chicago heavyweight who helps train Mayweather, said Floyd’s father, Floyd Sr., will be head trainer as the fighter’s uncle, Roger, is ill. Jones said Roger still is showing up at the gym, though, and offering advice.
He said the fighter’s father is getting along “very well” with Floyd Jr. and Roger, which hasn’t always been the case.
One of the most popular fighters in the world, the 22-year-old Alvarez told the crowd in Spanish, “I’m happy to be here in Chicago, and the only way I can repay you is with a victory.”
Not to be outdone, Mayweather said, “Chicago is one of the best cities in the world and Mexico is one of the best countries in the world. Sept. 14 it’s all about the red, white and blue.”
