Canelo Alvarez has endured as a headlining attraction on the Las Vegas Strip for 14 years by always coming prepared to fight

He was a teen-ager the first time he laced the gloves up for real in Las Vegas, but even as a gangly welterweight still growing into his body, Canelo Alvarez was a star.

He was 19 years old when he made his Las Vegas debut on May 1, 2010, stopping Jose Miguel Cotto in the ninth round of a scheduled 10-rounder at the MGM Grand Garden on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather versus Shane Mosley pay-per-view show, and there was a large part of the fans in attendance who came simply to see him. They chanted his name repeatedly and wore t-shirts bearing his image.

Barack Obama was in his first term as president, still trying to get the Affordable Care Act that is colloquially known as Obamacare through Congress. Patrick Mahomes was wrapping up eighth grade. Apple's Steve Jobs had unveiled the iPad less than a month earlier. It was seven years before the NHL's Golden Knights, the defending Stanley Cup champions, would be created in the desert, and 10 years until the Raiders moved to what is rapidly becoming the world's top sports city.

Alvarez remains a star and an elite attraction in this city that is taking over professional sports. On Saturday, he'll fight fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia at T-Mobile Arena in the seventh defense of his super middleweight championship. Alvarez is a -600 favorite at the Draft Kings sports book, with Munguia at +425.

For the first time, there have been questions about Alvarez. He chose not to fight David Benavidez, who held the interim WBC super middleweight title, and instead went with Munguia. The fight with Benavidez would have been huge business at the box office. The fight with Munguia won't sell even a half of what the Benavidez fight would have sold on pay-per-view, and ticket sales are lagging. 

Since a May 7, 2022, loss in a light heavyweight title bout to Dmitry Bivol at T-Mobile, Alvarez has fought Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo, all of whom have come under criticism from fans and interested observers. Though Golovkin has been his biggest rival, by the time Alvarez and Golovkin met in 2022, Golovkin was 40 years old and at the end of the road. Ryder was a journeyman who recently retired after being stopped by Munguia, and Charlo was the undisputed super welterweight champion, two classes lighter than Alvarez.

In taking on Munguia, Alvarez did a U-turn after initially saying he didn't want to fight a fellow Mexican. Some saw that as a way for him to duck Benavidez, who is an American of Mexican descent.

Alvarez's history would suggest strongly, however, that that is not the case. He's consistently sought the greatest challenges even when the odds were stacked against him, such as when he took on Floyd Mayweather in 2012. Had he waited until, oh, 2015, to challenge Mayweather, he would have had a far better chance of winning than he did.

Alvarez has steadfastly refused to say why he's refused to consider a Benavidez fight, but at the kickoff news conference in March he might have given a hint when he was talking about Munguia.

“Jaime Munguia is a respectful person and a great fighter who’s earned this fight again and again," Alvarez said. "Everyone will see how great this fight is for Mexico on [Saturday]."

Respectful is the key word there. My sense is that Alvarez has something against Benavidez or someone on his team, mostly likely his father/trainer, Jose Benavidez Sr., and doesn't want to give them the big payday as a result.

Mark my words, though: Alvarez is the ultimate competitor and he's not going to want to leave the sport without facing Benavidez. He works on his own schedule, and he'll do things his way, regardless of how anyone else perceives it. He knows the Munguia fight will be a high-octane affair for as long as it lasts, and will bring the fans out of their seats.

Munguia, who is 43-0 with 34 knockouts, is a skilled offensive fighter whose weakness against Alvarez will be his defensive vulnerabilities. This will be the ultimate toe-to-toe phone booth type of fight.

That's the kind of fight that will bring the fans back for more.

Munguia promoter Oscar De La Hoya's presence will undoubtedly get under Alvarez's skin. They once worked closely together and De La Hoya mentored Alvarez in his early days, but they have almost no relationship at all, now. Alvarez simply refuses to acknowledge De La Hoya.

De La Hoya, though, takes every chance he gets to jab at Alvarez, and he did at Munguia's open workout last week when he predicted Munguia would remain undefeated and score the upset.

"Canelo is going to come out guns blazing, but there's a changing of the guard in every era and I think that this is the perfect scenario for Jaime Munguia to take over," he said. "Jaime is ready to go. He's faced every adversary and every style. Whether they brawl or box, he's taken them out. Now he's ready for the biggest fish in the sea. Jaime has the youth, the punch output and the chin. I see all the cards stacked against Canelo.” 

Alvarez has endured, even when the cards have seemed stacked against him, and he's become an iconic figure. He's a slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer and he may wind up being regarded as the greatest boxer ever from Mexico when all is said and done. He's only 33 and still has numerous big fights potentially ahead of him.

Alvarez, though, is not one to look ahead. His discipline has enabled him to be on top of his game nearly every time out, and he's never surprised by a hungry and talented young fighter.

Munguia is gifted and motivated, but so too will be the guy standing in the opposite corner. He always has been and until he walks away for good, it's a good guess he'll continue to do the same thing.