Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Saul Alvarez: Is It Great for Boxing?

Bob Arum wants to pit his bright Mexican rising star Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (43-0-1, 30 KOs) against rival promoter Oscar De La Hoya's bright Mexican rising star, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (38-0-1, 28 KOs) by April 2012.

Though 36-year-old Sergio Martinez (48-2-2, 27 KOs) has banged on the door of the WBC to mandate that Chavez be forced to defend his middleweight world title against him, Arum seems undeterred in his plans.

Boxing in past years has suffered from a lack of matches that have enough intrigue to send in droves of audiences.

Now Mexico has two young warriors who hold world titles. Alvarez holds the WBC light middleweight title (154 lbs). Chavez holds the WBC middleweight title (160 lbs). A catch-weight of 158 lbs has been discussed.

No matter what weight they agree on, this promises to be a blockbuster. These kids are growing, but they need a moment in their careers that proves whether they have the great boxing "it" factor.

Chavez's dad, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. had it. Mexico's Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya had it. Do these two groomed sons of Mexico have it?

Before they find out, Chavez must defeat Peter Manfredo (37-6, 20 KOs) on November 19, while Alvarez battles Kermit Cintron (33-4-1, 28 KOs) on November 26.

After those obligations are taken care of, could Mexico's next official bright star be crowned in 2012?

And if this star is crowned, is that good for boxing? To answer that, one must ask: Will the winner of Alvarez vs Chavez be ready for more elite competition?

They've stepped up against decent competitors, but not the best of their weight class.

The best fighter in Alvarez's weight class is Miguel Cotto (36-2, 29 KOs). The best fighter in Chavez's weight class is Martinez, someone Chavez's promoter is keen to keep him away from.

Unless the all-Mexican showdown means the winner faces tougher competition on their way to becoming number one in their weight division, an Alvarez-Chavez match may just be inflated hype.

The potentially historic match will have the bad taste to it if the winner goes on to just develop and never take any further big risks in his career.

One of these days, these two will have to show and prove against the type of future, past and current world champions that make legends out of mere men.

When that will happen, and what transpires at that time is something that boxing will just have to wait and see.