Despite all of the hype surrounding WBC light middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KOs), challenger Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KOs) is every bit the favorite in Saturday night's highly-anticipated bout in Las Vegas.
Lopez is coming off an incredible upset over Victor Ortiz last June, and is riding a wave of confidence that the one they call "Canelo" will have to overcome this weekend if he is to remain undefeated and walk away with his title intact.
The lack of belief in Lopez only makes him more of a threat. Here he talks about fighting as the underdog (via ESPN.com's Dan Rafael):
I can't say I don't like it, I'm used to it. It's nothing new to me. I think it adds a little bit more of a rush of excitement to the fight and makes me want to pull it off that much more.
Alvarez must be wary of Lopez this weekend. He is no scrub, and he will get beat straight up if he takes Lopez lightly.
Lopez also has the nothing to lose factor on his side on Saturday night in Vegas. All the pressure is on Alvarez, the Mexican superstar who will defend his title for the fifth time, this time around on the weekend of the Mexican Independence Day.
Oh, the benefits of little expectation. As is always the case in sports, underdogs perform with little weight on their shoulders and absolutely no fear of failure.
That will be Josesito Lopez on Saturday night. All the spotlight and attention will be on Alvarez and the bright future the 22-year-old has in front of him if he can move to 41-0-1.
There has already been talk of fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Miguel Cotto one day down the road. Premature? We'll soon find out.
Those expectations create a lot of pressure for a young adult to withstand, however. That's why, in order for Canelo to win this weekend, he must thrust himself into the underdog role and approach every punch as if he's the challenger.
It's not a new or secret approach by any means, but one that is necessary if Alvarez is to enter the ring with a winning mindset this weekend.
After all, he can ill-afford to look ahead like Ortiz did last summer.
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