“I will defeat Canelo on Mexican Independence Day in front of his countrymen!”
Fresh off his revitalizing victory over DeAndre Latimore as part of the Mayweather-Cotto undercard on May 5, at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, NV, Puerto Rico’s Carlos “El Indio” Quintana is ready to take down Mexico’s next rising Golden Boy, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, who holds the WBC junior middleweight title.
With no set opponent being named yet as a replacement to take on Alvarez in his upcoming defense on September 15 (Mexican Independence Day), former WBO welterweight world champion Quintana is looking to throw his name into the hat. Canelo’s original opponent, Paul “The Punisher” Williams, was forced to pull out after tragically suffering career-ending injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident. Quintana, 29-3, 23 KOs, is hoping the young Mexican champion will be willing to put his belt on the line against him, in what would be a classic Mexican vs. Puerto Rican matchup.
“It would be a great matchup between me and Canelo,” said Quintana. “Stylistically, we both like to come forward and mix it up and with the fight being on Mexican Independence Day. The longstanding rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico will only add to what promises to be an exciting fight.”
[ Of course, Quintana isn’t the only fighter calling out Canelo and looking for a big payday and a showcase fight. Austin Trout called him out. Carlos Molina called him out. We also have our own views on the best possible opponents for Alvarez.]
Quintana continued by saying, “Everyone in boxing knows what type of fighter I am and that I have fought some of the best names in the business. People have been asking to see Canelo in a real fight, and that’s exactly what it would be if he stepped into the ring with me.”
Canelo also fought underneath Mayweather on May 5, defending his belt for the fourth time and sending Shane Mosley into retirement with a UD12 victory. Opening up the show against Latimore that night, the 35-year-old Quintana turned back the clock outclassing his fellow southpaw opponent over six frames. With slick defense and powerful combinations, Quintana earned his 23rd win by knockout. In doing so, Quintana ended a 15-month layoff.
