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Cinco de Mayo is a special date in boxing, a sport with a rich history of Mexican greats. Super fights on the week of Cinco de Mayo have become something of a boxing tradition. This year, Canelo Alvarez will face off against Dmitry Bivol for the light heavyweight title.
Alvarez has stepped into the ring on Cinco de Mayo week seven times since 2010, facing off against opponents such as Shane Mosley, Billy Joe Saunders, Amir Khan, Danny Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. In honor of the date, here's a look at five great fights that were held on this week in history involving some of the all-time greats.
5. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, Cinco de Mayo 2007
Oscar De La Hoya, a Mexican-American, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought on May 5, 2007, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather, a four-division world champion, challenged De La Hoya, a six-division world champion, for his Super Welterweight Title. At the time, it was the highest-grossing fight in history.
Going into the bout, De La Hoya had a record of 38-4 with 30 knockouts and Mayweather had a record of 37-0 with 28 knockouts. Although De La Hoya was the more accomplished boxer at the time, he was the underdog according to the betting odds.
De La Hoya trained under Floyd Mayweather Sr. until this bout. However, he took on Freddie Roach as his trainer shortly before facing Mayweather Jr. De La Hoya also fought and stopped Mayweather's uncle, Jeff Mayweather, in 1993.
The fight itself ended with a close split-decision victory for Floyd Mayweather, who landed 85 more punches than his opponent and controlled the pace of much of the fight. De La Hoya retired after two more fights. Mayweather stopped Ricky Hatton four months later and then went into retirement, returning in 2009 to face Juan Manuel Marquez.
Check out the full fight here:
4. Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquiao I, Cinco de Mayo week 2004
One of the greatest rivalries in boxing history began on May 4, 2004, when Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez stepped into the ring together for the first time. They would go on to fight four times between 2004 and 2012, with each bout being more exciting than the last.
Marquez and Pacquiao first fought at the featherweight division. It was Marquez's 45th fight and Pacquiao's 42nd. Marquez had a record of 42-2-1 and 'Pac Man' had a record of 38-2-2. Marquez was known for being a furious fighter with exceptional counterpunching and a chin of iron. Pacquiao was famous for his incredible speed and his flurrying combinations.
The first round of the bout was all Pacquiao's and he dropped Marquez an incredible three times. However, the Mexican great managed to get up off the canvas and secure a draw by the end of the fight. Although Marquez lost the next two bouts, he finished the last bout with an explosive knockout punch that is widely considered to be one of the greatest knockouts of the decade.
3. Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Frankie Randall II, Cinco de Mayo week 1994
Julio Cesar Chavez, one of the greatest Mexican boxer of all time, and Frankie Randall first met on January 29, 1994. The bout ended with Chavez's first career loss. It was his 91st professional fight. Months later, Chavez stepped back into the ring with Randall for a rematch, facing off on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chavez and Randall had another close fight in their second meeting, however, Chavez managed to secure the victory on the scorecards, recovering his light welterweight title and avenging his only career defeat to that point. The rematch was one of the first major bouts to take place in America during Cinco de Mayo week and set the stage for what has become known as the 'Superbowl week of boxing.'
2. Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton, Cinco de Mayo week 2009
Fighting on Cinco de Mayo week spread beyond the Mexican and Mexican-American communities and became a boxing tradition across the board. One of the most famous Cinco de Mayo bouts took place on May 2, 2009, when Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton met at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was a superfight in every sense. Hatton, defending the IBO Light Welterweight Title, had a 45-1-0 record at the time. Pacquiao was coming off a victory over Oscar De La Hoya and had a record of 48-3-2. Yet, the build-up was far longer than the fight itself, as Pacquiao knocked out the British great with a perfectly placed left hand in the final ten seconds of the second round.
Check out the full fight between Hatton and Pacquiao here:
1. Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo, Cinco de Mayo week 2005
Diego Corrales, of South Carolina, was born in Colombia to a Mexican mother and a Colombian father. Jose Luis Castillo, of Sonora, is one of the most-celebrated Mexican boxers in modern history. The fight between these two men on May 7, 2005, is one of the all-time great boxing matches and likely the greatest fight to take place on Cinco de Mayo week so far.
Corrales-Castillo stands with Ward-Gatti, Hagler-Hearns, and Pryor-Arguello as one of the greatest boxing wars. It was a toe-to-toe battle; a dogfight for ten rounds. In the tenth round, Castillo dropped Corrales. When Corrales climbed back to his feet, he was put down again. Then, in one of the greatest comebacks in ring history, Corrales caught Castillo with a right hand that stunned the aggressor, before pushing him back to the ropes and battering him until the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
Check out round ten of Corrales-Castillo here:
