Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez Booked for September 14th

Can Mayweather vs. Canelo Top Boxing's All-Time PPV Record?

Rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer and five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (44-0, 26 KO) and junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO) are still more than two months away from meeting in the ring, but they're already shattering records. Tickets for their September 14th mega fight in Las Vegas sold out in the blink of an eye, and the fight has broken the all-time live-gate record for a boxing event.

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, known as El Canelo, Alvarez is an undefeated 22-year-old Mexican professional boxer in the Junior Middleweight division. Álvarez started boxing at 13 years old, after watching his older brother Rigoberto Álvarez's debut as a professional boxer. In 2004 he won the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National championships, held in Sinaloa. Even though Álvarez turned professional young, he had 20 amateur bouts under his belt. At 22, Canelo is going to let whatever happens happen, responding with youth and an imaginative spirit with the 36 year old Mayweather having to adjust to Canelo’s youthful eagerness. “I am 22-years-old and I'm not worried about money at the moment because I have a long future ahead of me. This fight is about pride, and winning, because I want to be one of the best boxers in history and this is the opportunity to reach that goal," Canelo said.

According to ESPN.com, the fight is guaranteed to generate at least $18.6 million dollars in total ticket sales. That's more than enough to supplant the 2007 bout between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya, which generated just over $18.4 million dollars. Canelo and Mayweather might top the all-time PPV revenue mark, as the fight is priced at $65 standard definition and $75 in HD, so even if they don't get the 2.4 million buy mark, they could top the revenue mark, which is around $134 million domestically.

Read More

In Austin, F1 Fans Swept Up In “Checomania” For Mexico’s Sergio Perez

During Saturday's qualifying rounds, I could hear the crowd chanting as I walked through the grandstands even with the earplugs in my ears to dampen the sound of the screaming Formula One engines.

It was hard to tell what they were saying at first, until their voices became louder and they competed with the sounds of the cars. "Che-Co! Che-co! Che-co!" Then a minute later, it was clear to everyone what these fans were saying. "CHE-CO! CHE-CO! CHE-CO!"

These people were the thousands of fans who came out to the Circuit of the Americas to turn Mexican driver Sergio "Checo" Perez into the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix's unlikely local hero.

Out here at the circuit, you see scores of people dressed in blue Red Bull garb because Sebastian Vettel has been so dominant in recent years. And there are an even greater number of fans wearing Ferrari red because, well, they're Ferrari — they are to open-wheel racing what the Yankees are to baseball.

But there has also been a huge and somewhat unexpected contingent of fans dressed in white or draped in Mexican flags to cheer on Perez, the 22-year-old Sauber Ferrari driver who is one of F1's most exciting up-and-comers. In case you didn't know, Perez will be racing for McLaren next year, taking Lewis Hamilton's spot as he moves to Mercedes.

Maybe Perez is not such an unlikely hero. Texas used to be Mexico until a war was fought for independence. This state has a huge population of Mexican-Americans, Mexican immigrants and Mexican nationals who call it home. And Austin is only about 235 miles from the Mexican border. Plus, Perez is the only North American currently competing in F1.

For these reasons and more, the circuit has seen a tremendous turnout of people who are rooting for Perez. I've taken to calling it "Checomania," and Austin has it bad.

Continue reading about Sergio "Checo" Perez race in Austin, Texas at Jalopnik.com!

Read More