Canelo to fight Alfonso Gomez

By Dan Rafael of ESPN

Junior middleweight titlist Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Mexico’s most popular fighter, got a nice 21st birthday present this week: The confirmation that he will make his second defense against former “Contender” star Alfonso Gomez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 17 — the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.

While Alvarez-Gomez will headline a card at the Staples Center, the fight will be televised as part of a split-site pay-per-view show on which Floyd Mayweather’s return from a 16-month layoff to challenge welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz will headline a card — and the HBO PPV telecast — at the MGM Grand.

“It’s going to be an historic pay-per-view. It will be an amazing experience because the fans at Staples Center will be able to see the live feed from Las Vegas and also see Canelo Alvarez fight live that night, and the people in Las Vegas can see the live feed from the Canelo fight in the Staples Center,” Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer told ESPN.com.

“You’re going to have two HBO crews and they’ll give it back and forth between L.A. and Las Vegas. It’s going to be great,” said Schaefer.

Gomez (23-4-2, 12 KOs), 30, lives in Southern California, but he is also from Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, which ought to add some spice to the promotion.

“For Gomez, he’s been waiting for an opportunity like this,” Schaefer said. “There was a time (in December 2010) when he was supposed to fight (Julio Cesar) Chavez Jr. but Chavez had to pull out. Now he gets to show what he’s all about against (another) big star from Mexico, Canelo Alvarez. I know Alfonso Gomez will come ready and will give Canelo a helluva fight. I told Canelo he better be ready because this guy is coming to win.”