Ten years of great fights: Ranking the best bouts on Mexican Independence Day weekend
By Steve Kim
Mexican Independence Day weekend has become a popular time of the year to hold major boxing events.
Chango Carmona defeated Mando Ramos on that weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1972. Years later, the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. staked his claim to the date, then Oscar De La Hoya took the mantle and brought the biggest bouts to Las Vegas or Los Angeles. Having a boxing event around the holiday was not just a night of fights,
but a cultural celebration.
Over the past 10 years, boxing fans continue to enjoy great fights this time of year (the actual date is Sept. 16), with bouts highlighted by boxing's biggest stars, including Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez didn't fight on the traditional date in 2019,
due to difficulties in finding acceptable opponents. He noted in a news release in July 2019: "As a Mexican, it's a responsibility and an honor to represent my country in both May and September. Those are my dates. However, as a world champion in multiple weight classes, I also have the responsibility of delivering the most exciting and competitive fights possible. That's why Golden Boy and my team have decided to postpone the date in order to do right by my fans by promoting the best fight possible and with the best opponent possible."
Canelo ended up fighting -- and defeating -- Sergey Kovalev in November. This year,
a conflict with his broadcaster DAZN pushed him off a planned Sept. 12 appearance.
But moving forward, boxing fans will continue to see more significant fights take place during this time. The way the Kentucky Derby is always scheduled for the first week in May (with the exception of 2020), and the Indianapolis 500 takes place on Memorial Day weekend, there will always be boxing centered on Mexican Independence Day.
Here's a look back at the past decade with a ranking of the best fights that took place on this weekend, along with the thoughts of the three men who narrated the action from ringside: Jim Lampley, Al Bernstein and Joe Tessitore.
1. Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin II
Sept. 15, 2018, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The matchup: This was a rematch of a highly disputed decision from a year earlier, in which Golovkin had to settle for an unsatisfying split draw against Alvarez. Originally this rematch was slated for Cinco de Mayo weekend, but after
Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol, the Mexican superstar was suspended and the rematch was pushed back.
The fight: It was another hard-fought affair, which saw a more assertive Alvarez the second time around. There were more heavy exchanges between the two, especially in the late rounds as Golovkin fought with more urgency. It was high-level boxing throughout. By the end of their 24 rounds combined, the good feelings between the two combatants had eroded a bit, but they had certainly earned each other's respect.
The outcome: Alvarez, by the slimmest of margins,
defeated "GGG" by majority decision (114-114, 115-113 and 115-113). Canelo won the WBC and WBA middleweight belts and staked his claim as one of the best fighters in the world with this effort.
Lampley: The same thing (as their first fight). Seldom have two fights been so identical in the way they were executed, in the way that the crowd treated them, and the way that the two fighters responded by going into higher and higher levels of intensity during the course of the fight.
Again, if you took away all the graphics, some of the trappings that might really help the dedicated fans understand which one they're watching, and you put those two fights next to each other in a DVD player and asked even the smartest fan which one is the first fight and which one is the second fight -- it's just a guess -- I don't think there's too many people that know, for sure, which one is which.
2. Canelo Alvarez vs Gennadiy Golovkin I
Sept. 16, 2017, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The matchup: Golovkin was the long-reigning unified middleweight titlist, holding the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, and while Alvarez was the challenger, he was the A-side. Golovkin was considered among the very best in the sport, and Alvarez was the betting underdog despite having been involved in more big events.
The fight: It was a tight, tense affair that saw Alvarez win early rounds by boxing and moving. But the middle and late stages of the bout were controlled by Golovkin, who worked behind a steady jab. It seemed as if Golovkin had things well in hand until the championship rounds, but Alvarez mounted a late rally. After 12 rounds, it seemed as though Golovkin had done enough to win.
The outcome: The fight ended up in
a controversial split draw. While judges Dave Moretti and Don Trella had it close (115-113 for Golovkin, and 114-114, respectively), Adalaide Byrd's 118-110 scorecard in favor of Canelo
will be scrutinized forever.
Lampley: What a great fight, a great memory, the whole weekend was an amazing memory. Two very, very classy guys, both of whom demonstrated everything you needed to know about the professionalism, the dedication and the serious-mindedness, the sheer professional devotion that it takes to be a great fighter.
Anyone who can tell me -- one way or the other -- who they believe should've been the winner in the fight, isn't observing reality. It was too close to call.
3. Sergio Martinez vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Sept. 15, 2012, Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas
The matchup: Martinez was the long-reigning recognized middleweight champion coming into this bout, but he was having trouble getting a marquee name to step up to fight him. Finally he got a shot at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. whose
WBC title had been stripped away from "Maravilla" Martinez by the WBC. Martinez was the accomplished professional. Chavez, the young upstart whose bloodline (as the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.) had created a much easier path for him in the sport, and allowed him a special type of treatment not afforded many others.
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The fight: For 11 rounds the athleticism and skills of Martinez dominated the action, as he was able to outbox Chavez easily and continually beat him to the punch. That is until the wheels nearly fell off in the 12th round as Chavez nearly scored a miraculous late knockout. But Martinez was ultimately able to take it across the finish line.
The outcome: Martinez regained the WBC middleweight title by unanimous decision (118-109, twice, and 117-110).
Lampley: One of the most memorable fights I ever called, because of the drama of the last two rounds. A spectacularly competent performance against an outclassed opponent for 10 rounds, followed by a shot in the dark. And if I remember correctly, Martinez injured his knee going down from that shot and fought the [rest of the] 12th round on one leg, which most of the audience was aware enough to see.
He took a ton of punishment, stood up, and won the fight. It was almost the most embarrassing moment of Martinez's career and ironically it was also the most courageous and heroic performance of his career. That last round-and-a-half was as dramatic as we ever watched.
4. Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin
Sept. 14, 2019, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
The matchup: Fury was unbeaten and considered one of the top three heavyweights in the world. Three months earlier, Fury had made easy work of Tom Schwarz, stopping him in two rounds. This bout against the relatively unknown Wallin was supposed to be another easy assignment before facing WBC world titlist Deontay Wilder in a highly anticipated rematch scheduled for Feb. 22, 2020.
The fight: This turned out to be no garden-variety tune-up bout as Wallin, an athletic southpaw, troubled Fury with his movement and cut Fury early on over the right eye. And as the blood streamed down Fury's face in the middle rounds, there was a palpable tension around ringside that the Fury-Wilder rematch was in jeopardy. But eventually, Fury started to use his size and walked down Wallin, who still fared much better than expected.
The outcome: When it was all said and done
Fury won a unanimous decision by the scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112 and kept the rematch with Wilder alive. But the scores don't reflect just how harrowing of an experience this really was for everyone who had a vested interest in Fury.
Tessitore: It was, to me, the second full-on confirmation that Tyson Fury was committed to being -- and he stamped himself -- the ultimate showman in the sport ahead of everyone realizing it. He has been living in this place of, "I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do, then I'm going to go out and overdeliver in every way -- and I don't give a 'F'."
So literally saying, Canelo is the biggest star in the sport ... hold on a second, a 6-foot-9 gypsy from Manchester is going to take over that weekend in Vegas and come out and honor all the great Mexican fighters, have a Mexican themed tribute, the trunks, and this is the most critical part, fights with a Mexican style.
He was bloodied up and laid everything out on the line. That cut was among the worst cuts I've ever seen with a fight continuing. I'm hard-pressed to remember a cut that was worse, that was more significant where the fight continued for that length. It was basically 80 percent of the fight with that cut.
You reflect now one year later, and Canelo still basically hasn't contributed to the sport, and looks like he's not going to in this calendar year. And this is the guy (Fury) who had the "event of the year" (the rematch with Deontay Wilder in February) in boxing, and has become a mainstream celebrity in America.
