With the Canelo Alvarez vs. Erislandy Lara July 12th fight now approaching just one month away, it’s time to take a closer look at the match, the fighters, and what we can all expect.
Right here, you can watch a quick preview clip of episode 1 of the All Access: Canelo vs. Lara documentary series.
Canelo vs. Lara All Access will premiere on Friday, June 27th on Showtime. There will be two episodes leading up to fight night.
Additionally, we have a few more tidbits on you here, including how Canelo & Lara each received their nicknames:
Canelo explains:
“My nickname was given to me by my trainer Jose ‘Chepo’ Reynoso when I first started training at Reynoso’s Gym because of my red hair. First called me “Canelito” [Little Cinnamon] because I was still very young, around 12- or 13-years-old. As I grew older, it changed to ‘Canelo.’
“Since I started fighting in the U.S. as a professional on U.S. television, I dropped the ‘Saul’ all together because it has become a brand name and is my persona in the ring and out of it.
“What some people may not know is that I named my daughter Canela and I told her: ‘Once you grow up, you will understand what your name means and you will be proud of it.’ “
And Lara explains his:
“I thought of the name ‘The American Dream’ with my co-manager Luis Decubas Jr., because I defected from Cuba to achieve my dreams. Since I’ve been living in the United States, my family and I have truly been living the American Dream.
“Coming from literally nothing, and receiving my first pair of shoes at the age of eight in a communist country, sometimes you don’t realize how important opportunity and freedom is until you have lived it. With hard work, a good team and the support of my wife, Yudi, behind me, I’ve been able to provide my family with a roof over their head, a good education, and daily meals that I never experienced as a kid in Cuba, but most importantly freedom.
“I risked my life in shark-infested waters leaving my mother, children and friends behind to escape a country led by a ruthless dictator to better my life, and my family’s lives. It took a lot of courage but that’s what I had to do to fulfill my dream of becoming a world champion, and it happened in the great United States of America, hence my nickname ‘The American Dream.’ “
