Canelo Alvarez – Floyd Mayweather JR BOXING NEWS: Will it Save the Sport?
By Gina L. Caliboso
On September 14, 2013, Floyd “Money” Mayweather, 44-0, 26 KO’s will go up against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 42-0-1, 30 KO’s in Las Vegas, NV. Both fighters have agreed to fight at 152 pounds. I’m not sure it was a good move for Canelo, the red-haired boy from Jalisco, Mexico, but we can all just roll our eyes and wonder again, if whether or not this bout counts as a superbout. The answer, yes. But the real question in my immediate future? Will I buy the PPV? The answer, no.
A little background, as most of the Ringsidereport boxing fans know, I don’t order PPV boxing fights. I usually gently request my sister and brother-in-law to order a bout and to make a fight party out of it. I convinced them to order the Mayweather – Guerrero fight. The fight ended and my sister took one look at me, “We are NEVER ordering a PPV – Mayweather fight again. Don’t even ask. Don’t even ask about Pacquiao vs. Alvarez.” Note to self: sister just took a percentage amount from the pocket of Mayweather.
Mayweather versus Alvarez is truly a superbout in the clashing of undefeated records. But, let’s point out the obvious. Mayweather chooses fighters he knows he can beat. And fighters readily agree to take him up on the opportunity. In his last couple of bouts, Mayweather has defeated his opponents rather handily. He may allow a round or two to slip through, but once he settles down into his rhythm, into his sound defensive posture of the shoulder, no fighter can touch him. He’s perfected his timing to the point that he makes an effective fighter look lost with no game plan, no back up to counter his excellent timing and power shots landed. If you need physical evidence, look at Guerrero’s face. It wasn’t pretty.
Because Mayweather’s style of boxing is technically sound, I’d even say mastered, it’s an old school way of fighting. True boxing fans know how ring savvy he is, how he never looks defeated against his opponent and his true athleticism shines. But I’ve only mentioned the sweet science of boxing as technical expertise. Mayweather looks effortless and natural.
Effortless, natural, good timing, technically sound – all of these make for a good fight. But I didn’t say all of those elements make for an entertaining fight. Watching a Mayweather bout is like watching a very slow, romantic movie. There’s a bit of conflict, someone gets hurt – just a tad bit, but you know the ending. In this case, it’s Mayweather emerging with a unanimous decision over 12 rounds. Or, if we’re lucky, might end up with a bit of drama as in the Ortiz fight where there was a survival tactic of a head butt in there, or in the Guerrero bout, the opponent may show flashes of brilliance on the inside, but eventually, we all know the end result. It breaks the heart, and in the case of the PPV, the pocketbook too.
The PPV HD fight for Mayweather vs. Alvarez will cost between $65 to $75 and marks the highest cost for a PPV. Nose bleed seats for the bout start at $350. I could get lucky and apply for a media credential and attend the fight. We’ll see. I’m pooling around to see if I can get a group of 13-15 friends to pay $5 to see the fight and we’ll split the cost of the PPV. But yet, despite the prestige of watching the fight which will prove costly at any location I decide to see it, it is sadly, the fight I wasn’t hoping to see.
Right now, I’d argue that Mayweather is the best pound for pound fighter in boxing. As a boxing fan, I continue to wonder how he never worked out the bout with Pacquiao. I won’t completely ignore the possibility that there was something in the refusal for the boxers to fight one another. Accusations of PED’s? Who would receive the greater cut of the fight? It was more than money. I can’t undo all the boxing – matchmaking theories out there, but I’ll take it from a boxing point of view.
As Juan Manuel Marquez makes the perfect foil for Pacquiao in their four part installment of who is the better fighter, Marquez emerged as the victor over Pacquiao because he finally, within himself, found the best way to beat Pacquiao. There has never been any doubt that as Pacquiao has moved up in the weight divisions, he became a better boxer, he thought about strategy, and in addition to his power, I’d offer that his opponents have perhaps underestimated his power because of his size. Pacquiao is aggressive by nature, a scrapper, a fighter. As a southpaw, he punches at awkward angles, and punches up, because being the smaller fighter, it’s what he has to do. He has to go in and out, and punches in bunches. His power is well accompanied to his use of angles and movement.
I think Mayweather would have a difficult time with this type of fighter. He has come up against opponents that allow him to dictate and make adjustments to him without fully breaking through with the mental attitude of beating him. As Mayweather is a different type of fighter, it would take obviously, a different type of fighter to beat him. I still believe that fighter to be Pacquiao.
But as for his bout against Canelo, I think perhaps it was too soon for the red-haired fighter. He still has quite a few bouts ahead of him and I perceive would make for a good match as a true middleweight. He’s a slow starter and his power punches to the body are incredible to watch. Right now, it’s Mayweather vs. Alvarez. But already, it’s about Matthysse vs. Mayweather. That would be a great bout to watch. It won’t be the superbout I’m looking for, but it’s the best we have in boxing right now. We’ll see how things fare with Rios vs. Pacquiao. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao just might be a possibility – as always.
