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5
Number of times Alvarez has successfully defended his WBC junior middleweight title.
Average length, in yards, of her drives in 2012, second on the LPGA Tour.
LEXI THOMPSON AGE 17 BIRTHPLACE CORAL SPRINGS, FL A. NEXT CRED THE SECOND-YOUNGEST WINNER IN LPGA TOUR HISTORY, CAPTURING THE 2011 NAVISTAR LPGA CLASSIC AT AGE 16.
THE MOMENT Every time Lexi Thompson stepped up to a shot on the first hole at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open, something would go wrong. A wayward drive. A misread putt. Thompson played the hole five over par for the week—three bogeys and a double. But a funny thing happened: Every day Thompson would turn it around. By the time she got to Oakmont’s 260-yard 17th, a drivable par 4, on Sunday, a top-10 finish was within reach. Screw playing it safe, Lexi decided; she pulled a 3-wood. In that swing, her coach, Jim McLean, saw everything that makes Thompson golf’s next big star: the chops to attempt the shot and the raw ability to pull it off. Thompson birdied the hole and finished in a tie for 10th. She was 15 years old. THE BUZZ After successfully lobbying the LPGA to waive its age minimum of 18, Thompson played her first event as an official tour pro the weekend of her 17th birthday. Last year alone, she compiled four top-10s on the tour. THE QUOTE “When she walks on the range, she has a presence,” her coach says. “You could see it when she was 14. She gets your attention.” —SCOTT T. MILLER
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SAUL ‘‘CANELO’’ ALVAREZ AGE 22 BIRTHPLACE GUADALAJARA, MEXICO NEXT CRED UNDEFEATED THROUGH HIS FIRST 42 JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT FIGHTS.
photograph by DY LAN COULTER
THE BUZZ When Saul Alvarez first entered the American boxing scene, some fans saw his strawberry hair and freckles—the inspiration for the nickname Canelo (Spanish for cinnamon)—and dismissed him as more Opie Taylor than Meldrick Taylor. But Alvarez is proving to be a powerhouse in the boxing ring and at the box office. “I just want to keep going and become the best—not just one of the best but the best,” Alvarez says. To get there, he’s already made believers of his veteran opponents, including Carlos Baldomir (KO in the sixth round, 2010), Ryan Rhodes (TKO in the 12th, 2011) and surefire Hall of Famer “Sugar” Shane Mosley (unanimous decision, 2012). “I’ve fought Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Oscar De La Hoya,
photograph by JAMES MICHE LFEL DER & THERESE SOMMERSETH
Miguel Cotto,” Mosley said postfight, “and Canelo has the potential to be as good as anyone I’ve faced. He is definitely in the mix of talented fighters who are going to carry the sport for the next decade.” THE MOMENT Alvarez is pulling huge ratings on both sides of the border. His Sept. 15 fight with Josesito Lopez set a live record for Showtime. On that night, 70.8% of Mexico’s TV viewers were watching boxing—in fact, Alvarez-Lopez outrated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s far more meaningful championship challenge against Sergio Martinez. THE QUOTE “I started younger than Julio Cesar Chavez [Sr.], I’ve achieved more things at my age and I’ve got a better grasp of boxing,” Alvarez says. “I want to be better than Julio Cesar Chavez.” —ERIC RASKIN
01/07/2013 ESPN The Magazine
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