Mayweather (L) and Alvarez in face-off ahead of 11-city tour The most compelling and anticipated fight in boxing is officially set as the sport’s number one pound-for-pound fighter, undefeated eight-time , five-division world champion Floyd Mayweather faces undefeated Mexican star and super welterweight world champion Canelo Alvarez in \"THE ONE: MAYWEATHER VS. CANELO” on Saturday, September 14 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The marquee match-up was initially announced by Mayweather via his Twitter account on May 29 setting the sports world abuzz.  The bout will be a Super Welterweight World Championship contested for the WBC, WBA Super, WBA and Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championships on Mexican Independence Day weekend, one of the two biggest weekends on the boxing calendar.
Mayweather, who usually campaigns at 147 pounds, chose the younger and bigger Canelo as his opponent for the second bout of his new contract with Showtime Networks Inc. and its parent company, CBS Corporation.
\"I picked Canelo because he deserves the chance and is the best opponent possible for me at this time,\" said Mayweather, who is coming off of a near shutout win on May 4 over Robert Guerrero.  
\"When I signed my new deal with Showtime and CBS, I said I was going to stay active and fight the best fighters and I am keeping my word.  I looked at several different fighters and decided to pick Canelo because he can give me a great fight and one the fans are going to appreciate.  Sure it’s a risk to fight a guy that is younger and bigger than me, but I love taking risks. Be ready because I’m in fantastic shape and I’m going to train even harder for this fight than I did for my last one.  
\"He might be a big, young, strong and talented champion, but my experience and work ethic make me believe that I’m that much better and no one in boxing can beat me right now.”
Canelo is coming off of a unanimous decision win over then WBA world champion Austin Trout in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 40,000 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on April 20.  The young champion has been soliciting to fight Mayweather for some time and is excited to challenge boxing’s best fighter in what could be a career-defining fight for the Mexican superstar.
\"I’m ready for the big challenges and now I have to prove it against Floyd Mayweather on September 14,\" said Canelo.  \"I said that I wanted to fight the best and here I am in front of the best pound-for-pound fighter, who I respect for his achievements, but on September 14, I will write a new page in boxing history because I’m going to be victorious.  This fight is for all of my fans, my family and of course for Mexico because we’re fighting on the weekend of Mexico’s Independence.  I’ve waited so long for this and my only option is to WIN.\"