Tomorrow night 'The One' finally arrives in Las Vegas. Floyd Mayweather Junior will share the ring with WBC and WBA Super welterweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez.
As we all know, Mayweather is the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world, never tasting defeat in 44 bouts during a 17 year professional career.
But his 23-year-old opponent is also undefeated. In 43 fights, the Mexican has won all but 42 with the other ending in a draw.
An intriguing prospect awaits at the MGM Arena in Sin City. But Alvarez also has an interesting back story as writer Eric Nusbaum revealed on Off The Ball.
"Canelo is the next great hope of Mexican boxing right now. He's a bit untested in the ring but his personality has transcended that. He has red hair where the 'Canelo' nickname comes from and he's a pop culture phenomenon. You see him on the covers of tabloids, you see him on TV all the time, and there's a lingering question whether the celebrity matches the skills in the ring. I think he's a good fighter. He won't beat Mayweather though," said Nusbaum.
But how has he attained his current popularity and status in Mexico?
"He's actually kind of a quiet, sullen man. He's attained the status by winning. First and foremost, he's a good boxer. But he's under the auspices of the biggest TV network in Mexico and they've really been the ones who have promoted his brand. Canelo stays back, smiles and fights."
But his early years were difficult. Bullied as a child because of his distinctive red hair - a rarity in Mexico - his family also moved around a lot in search of a place to setup an ice-cream shop.
"He grew up in a working class Mexican existence. His family was a little bit uprooted. He was working in the ice-cream shop when he was old enough. He quit school at 13 to focus on fighting and to work. His older brother Rigboberto was the one to start the family in boxing and he's been the person ushering Canelo from his youth to his current status."
But Nusbaum still expects him to lose to Mayweather. Did Andy Lee concur?
Lee pointed out that Mayweather picks his opponents and he would not have agreed to fight Alvarez unless he has seen a chink in the armour.
