Priceless Gennady Golovkin shot on the line in Mexican Cinco de Mayo grudge match

Mexican bragging rights, and a possible middleweight world title shot, will be on the line in Las Vegas on Saturday when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez takes on Julio Chavez Jnr in a Cinco de Mayo weekend fight.

Alvarez, the reigning World Boxing Organisation super welterweight world champion and a former middleweight world champ, is a heavy favourite as he steps up to a catchweight of 74.62kg.

With a record of 48-1-1 and 34 knockouts, Alvarez rides a streak of six victories into the bout at the T-Mobile Arena including knockouts of Amir Khan and Liam Smith in his last two fights.

Chavez boasts a record of 50-2-1 with 32 knockouts and is a former middleweight world champion. But his erratic career trajectory includes a positive test for marijuana and in recent years trouble making weight.

Critics – including Alvarez – claim Chavez would never have gotten away with his lack of professionalism if it wasn’t for the reverence with which his father, Julio Cesar Chavez, is regarded among Mexican fight fans.