(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) LAS VEGAS, NEV. (Sept. 10, 2013) – Eight-time, five-division World Champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Super Welterweight World Champion and Mexican Superstar Canelo Alvarez kicked off fight week for “THE ONE: MAYWEATHER vs. CANELO” as the two superstars arrived in grand fashion in front of approximately 2,000 screaming fans on Tuesday at the MGM Grand Hotel Lobby.
Canelo’s WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championships and Mayweather’s WBA Super Welterweight Super World Championship will be at stake this Saturday on SHOWTIME PPV in the most significant boxing showdown in recent memory.
Mayweather and Canelo briefly met with the media following Tuesday’s formal arrival, where the subject quickly turned to the controversy surrounding the 152-pound catchweight and statements from The Money Team that Team Canelo made a mistake in agreeing to fight at 152 pounds.
“I’m the bigger guy, why would I give up weight?” Canelo asked the media. “You want to know what happened? They wanted to fight at welterweight. I told them, ‘No way, those days are over for me.’ Then they said let’s do the fight at 150. I said I couldn’t do that. Then 151. Then we finally agreed on 152.
“I would come down two pounds to make the important fight. They told us not to disclose anything and we were fine with that. The reason why we are talking about the weight today is because they called us idiots and they are lying.”
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, had a firm response to Canelo’s comments.
“We took advantage of a situation,” Ellerbe said. “The kid suggested it himself a long time ago. He put himself out there like that and we’re going to hold his feet to the fire.”
Mayweather, who didn’t acknowledge questions surrounding the catch-weight, insisted he’ll still be boxing’s No. 1 draw after Saturday’s showdown.
“He’s not the future,” Mayweather said. “But he’s still going to be a star after he loses on Saturday. When I’m in a fight like this I’m not losing.
“You don’t think I could go to the Alamodome and sell it out? I give Canelo credit for showing up on Sept. 14 and that’s it.”
“I take my hat off to Richard Schaefer; he works very, very hard, him and Leonard [Ellerbe],” said Mayweather when asked about the massive size of the Sept. 14 promotion. “This is not just a fight, this is what we call an event These people play a major key to my success. This is the Mayweather Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions show, and we now run boxing.”
photos: Esther Lin / Showtime and Gene Blevins /HoganPhotos