SEE THE VIDEO: Canelo Spars With Chavez Jr, Offers To Bet Whole Purse

Canelo Alavarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr faced off at a table before the ring, as Max Kellerman of HBO presided on the HBO “Face Off” program, and there was some decent action, with Canelo winning by a few points on my card.

The action was reasonably hot and heavy though I presume it will be spicier in a Las Vegas ring, and on HBO PPV, Saturday.

Junior spoke English and threw a launch at Canelo right away. “Sometime he’s fought little guys,” the son of the legend said. In Spanish, Canelo fired back. “Junior never represented Mexico,” he spat, with complete composure. “I fought with the current champions of time.”

Junior wouldn’t let go of the bone. He said Canelo goes after small guys. But Canelo is smaller, coming up. Doesn’t the 175er Junior have a point, in that he needs to drain more to make 164.5? “We all sacrifice something,” the red-head said, noting that Floyd made him drain extra. “That’s the way it is…That's how boxing is.”

Max perseverated on the weight issue. Canelo acquitted himself decently. “To this fight, it could have only been done this way,” he said, reasonably.

Max kept it flowing fas, or tried to..

Junior said he thinks Canelo needs to take a risk to make a heavy impact on the sport. They went back and forth about the matter whether Canelo is too all about business. They bogged down in a matter easy to get bogged down in…this weight issue, in this “catch weight era,” it is something that does indeed diminish the gravity of the sport, and fighters and reps are too clever with the weights, at times. In this case, I side with the folks who dig the throwback mentality. To heck with the catchweight crap…

Canelo then said yes, he respects Chavez Sr, who he termed the best ever Mexican hitter, but Junior, he can’t.

Max noted that he detected real animosity. Canelo said he feels that quite a bit. “I’n going to enjoy it a lot,” he said. Me too, said Junior. “You fight me because you think I’m easier than Triple G,” Junior said, making a sharp point. “At my age, no one has done what I’ve done,” regarding taking the stiffest tests, red said.

Junior continued. He said he has trained the hardest ever for this. “I can knock him out, yeah,” Junior said. Not gonna let tha happen, said Canelo.

I will bet the entire purse you won’t knock me out OR win, Canelo offered. “Done,” they agreed.

That isn’t the operating setup, however, as Team Junior came to their senses and nixed that hand shake deal. Wise bet, in my eyes…

May 6, Saturday, they do it for real.