He’s already taken Mexico by storm, and now, 20 year-old boxing phenom Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is looking to infect San Diegans with a case of Canelo-Mania. The newly minted World Boxing Council Jr. Middleweight champion will be in town tomorrow Saturday, April 16, to take part in the celebration of Northgate Gonzalez Market’s anniversary of operating in the San Diego area. As part of the festivities, Alvarez will be signing autographs for customers of Northgate’s 1410 S. 43rd St. store beginning at 12:00 pm. Those interested in attending are encouraged to arrive early as officials are expecting nearly 5,000 people to attend. Nicknamed Canelo (Cinnamon) for his red hair, and freckles that adorn his face, the Jalisco, Mexico native has been fighting professionally since the age of 15. In just five short years, Alvarez has seen both his popularity, and wins total grow as he has amassed an impressive record of (36-0-1, 26 KOs).  At this moment, he is widely considered as Mexico’s most popular fighter, and has already begun to draw comparisons to the great Julio Cesar Chavez. This past March, he became the youngest 154 pound champion in history when he defeated Matthew Hatton by unanimous decision in front of a crowd of 11,000 boxing enthusiasts. Alvarez will make the first defense of his title on June 18, when he takes on veteran fighter Ryan Rhodes in Guadalajara, Mexico.

   Just 2,000 square feet in size, Northgate # 1 opened its doors in January 1980. The original store was Northgate, and the name has been kept over the years and subsequent acquisitions. The newer stores are about 50,000 square feet in size, allowing them to offer shoppers a large service meat department, bakery, tortillería and prepared foods, in addition to a sizeable selection of domestic and imported Latin American grocery goods.