If Miguel Cotto's fight with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is anywhere near as tough as the negotiations to get them in the ring, boxing fans are in for a treat.
After months of strenuous posturing and painstaking discussions, the pair appeared together in Hollywood on Monday to formally announce their WBC middleweight title bout, set for November 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The fight pits two of the sport's biggest names in a long-awaited chapter of Puerto Rico's long-standing boxing rivalry with Mexico.
They've circled each other for years and the negotiations dragged on for so long both boxers took other fights earlier this year.
But both are grateful the contracts are finally signed for a landmark night.
"Like any big fight, the negotiations are going to be hard," Alvarez said through a translator.
"But I'm honoured to fight a guy with his accomplishments. This is a big step in my career."
Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) had a predictably large fan contingent behind him during their public appearance, and the 25-year-old Mexican star is favoured by most oddsmakers against the 34-year-old Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs).
"I don't know what people say about the fight and I don't care," Cotto said.
"I focus on myself, on my training camp. Nothing else matters."
Tickets will be brutally scarce for the bout in the smallish Mandalay Bay arena.
Alvarez's camp wanted the fight in Texas, where he drew 31,588 Houston fans to watch his stoppage of James Kirkland earlier this year.
They were careful not to assign too much public blame for the torturous negotiations to Cotto.
"Let's put it this way - it was quite interesting," said Oscar De La Hoya, Alvarez's promoter at Golden Boy.
"But it was fun because we all wanted the same thing. This is one of the most anticipated match-ups in several years, so we all had one goal and we eventually got there."
Cotto's promoters say he'll be fighting for the biggest purse of his decorated career that includes world titles in four weight classes, a first for a Puerto Rican fighter.
He became the WBC's middleweight champion in June 2014 by beating Sergio Martinez but is undersized for the weight class.
Alvarez also has never fought as a true middleweight, and they'll fight each other at a 155-pound catch weight, barely above the super welterweight limit.
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