Alvarez vs. Lopez: Canelo Victory Perfect Setup for Mayweather Fight

A victory for Saul "Canelo" Alvarez against Josesito Lopez should mean a superfight with pound-for-pound great Floyd Mayweather.

Canelo comes into the fight as a huge favorite and should win as long as he can avoid the power of Lopez that was able to stun Victor Ortiz by breaking his jaw in their June 2012 bout. Another win for Alvarez will just add to what has already been an impressive year for the young 154-pounder.

Alvarez has already defended his WBC Light Middleweight five times since winning the belt in 2011 and has maintained an undefeated record in over 40 fights. At some point, he'll really need to challenge himself and a victory over a dangerous underdog such as Lopez will show that he is ready to fight on the biggest stage in the sport.

Considering Mayweather's undeniable ability to draw a crowd and pay-per-view buys, a fight with Mayweather is the perfect way to market one of boxing's youngest stars.

Canelo is only 22 years old, compared to most of the boxers with enough name recognition to sell pay-per-views, that's extremely young. He may not have the experience of headlining cards, but he's an extremely marketable fighter.

He has a signature look (his red hair is the reason for his nickname which means "Cinnamon"), he's young and he's undefeated. After watching Mayweather beat Miguel Cotto in his last fight, it will be refreshing to see a challenger for Mayweather that hasn't been beaten and has plenty of years left in the sport.

Win or lose, Alvarez could emerge from the Mayweather fight as a bonafide star. Mayweather has proven time and time again that people will tune in to watch his fights regardless of opponent. If Canelo performs well in the spotlight, we could see a huge star in the making.

Outside of Manny Pacquaio, there aren't too many viable opponents left for Mayweather, if Alvarez gets past Lopez, he will be one of the few options worth watching.