Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. may not get away with it, but that didn't stop the two from agreeing to bet their entire fight purses against each other during Wednesday's prefight tour ahead of their May 6 bout.
Both fighters exchanged words during a Univision news conference this week and Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) later confirmed to ESPN that the purse bet would stand.
"He said he was going to knock me out in eight rounds and I bet him his purse that he wouldn't beat me and that he wouldn't knock me out and he accepted," Alvarez said. "And we shook hands in front of the cameras and I think here in the United States when you give someone your word that makes it official."
The two are set to fight at a catchweight of 164.5 pounds, with significant financial penalties if either misses weight for their 12-round fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend, which will be broadcast on HBO pay-per-view from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"I bet you my purse that I will win," Alvarez said to taunt Chavez, who then asked: "Your purse or both of our purses?"
Alvarez then said: "I'll bet you both purses [that I will win] if you want. I'll give you the advantage there if you want."
Former middleweight titleholder Chavez (50-2-1, 32 KOs) then pointed out that the betting odds were 4-1 in favor of Alvarez.
"But I am not betting in the casino," Alvarez told him. "I am betting you that I will beat you. And I will beat you four times over. It doesn't matter."
In recent years, Alvarez has been boxing at 154 and 155 pounds while Chavez has been fighting between 168 and 172 pounds. The two are on a four-city, two-country media tour/fan fest to promote the bout this week.
