Canelo Alvarez Miguel Cotto
Canelo Alvarez and Miguel Cotto will meet in one of the biggest fights of 2015. Getty

The next chapter in the Mexico-Puerto Rico boxing rivalry is just one day away from being written. The weigh-in for Saturday’s fight between Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez is set for Friday afternoon at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Both boxers will be looking to weigh in at no more than 155 pounds, which is the catch weight for Saturday’s bout. Alvarez’s last three fights have been fought at a catch weight of 154 pounds. Even though Cotto holds the 160-pound middleweight title, he won the belt at a catch weight of 159 pounds and defended it in June at 157 pounds.

Even though the two boxers might weigh the same on Friday, Alvarez will have the size advantage on Saturday. He’s two inches taller with a 3.5-inch reach advantage, and he usually hydrates up to more than 170 pounds on fight night.

Both boxers enter the fight with three consecutive wins. Following a win over Austin Trout and a loss to Floyd Mayweather, Alvarez has beaten Alfredo Angulo, Erislandy Lara and James Kirkland. Cotto suffered consecutive losses to Mayweather and Trout, but he’s since knocked out Delvin Rodriguez, Sergio Martinez and Daniel Geale.

It’s the first time Cotto will fight in Las Vegas since he was defeated by Mayweather on May 5, 2012. Three of Alvarez’s last four fights have been in Las Vegas, though his last bout took place at Minute Maid Park in Houston in front of 31,588 fans.

Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao broke all kinds of records on May 2, generating 4.6 million pay-per-view buys. Saturday’s fight won’t come close to matching those numbers, but it should be the second-best selling PPV of 2015. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya predicts the fight could do between 1.5 million and two million buys.

Tale of the Tape

Canelo Alvarez Miguel Cotto

Age: 25 35

Height: 5’9 5’7

Reach: 70.5” 67”

Stance: Orthodox Orthodox

Record: 45-1-1 40-4

Start Time: 5:30 p.m. ET

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