Floyd Mayweather Jr. & 'Canelo' Alvarez Cancel Phoenix Stop, Overcome San Antonio Controversy

(Esther Lin/SHOWTIME)

While the 11-city media tour by Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been successful, drawing crowds of fans of both fighters, there have been a couple of setbacks to the public relations madness.

Promoters cancelled Tuesday’s Phoenix, Ariz., event out of respect for the 19 firefighters who lost their lives fighting wildfires north of Phoenix.

The Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets honored the men from Yarnell, Ariz., by hanging jersey’s with the number 19 in both dugouts. But the boxers and their handlers felt a celebratory melee shortly after their deaths would be in bad taste.

According to ESPN.com, Golden Boy Promotions announced a donation will be made on behalf of the promotion to The 100 Club's Survivor Fund in memory of the fallen firefighters. The 100 Club's Survivor Fund's mission is "to provide immediate financial assistance to families of public safety officers and firefighters who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty," Golden Boy Promotions told ESPN.com.

Meanwhile, Monday’s press conference didn’t go off without a hitch in San Antonio, Texas.
Fans lined up early in the morning for an evening press conference, but Mayweather’s flight was delayed and fans did not get the faceoff that was expected.

Alvarez said his piece and left before a flamboyant Mayweather made his entrance.

"You fans have been brilliant over the years. Without San Antonio, Floyd Mayweather wouldn't be where he's at today. If you don't know, Mayweather loves Mexico. Mexican and Latino fans, you know boxing,” Mayweather said to the crowd of 5,000. “I'm going to sign a lot of autographs and take a lot of pictures because I'm late. That's the least I can do for you guys."

The event took place outside the historic Alamo, which irked at least one political official.

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson released a press release that said the event desecrated the “shrine of Texas liberty.”

“This would not happen at Gettysburg," Patterson said in a press release. "No one would even imagine holding such an event at the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor. Alamo Plaza is where Bowie and Travis fell. It should be treated as the hallowed ground that it is.”