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After more than a year of rumors, the highly anticipated pairing of Floyd Mayweather Jr and Saul Alvarez was announced earlier this week, with the MGM Grand in Las Vegas getting the nod as Mayweather Vs Alvarez hosting venue.
It’s a very intriguing matchup to be sure, which is mostly down to age; Mayweather is 36, Alvarez will be 23 by the time the fight takes place on September 14.
Has Floyd Mayweather slipped enough for Saul Alvarez to have a chance? Is Alvarez good enough, even on his best day, to defeat even a 75% Mayweather?
When Mayweather fought Miguel Cotto a year ago, he took more punches than he generally does prompting many to speculate that the master boxer had lost a step but that theory went up in smoke when “Money” handcuffed Robert Guerrero last month.
Alvarez has proven on a few occasions, such against Austin Trout in April and Shane Mosley a year ago, that he can find a way to overcome good boxers, but let’s face facts; Mayweather is a different proposition altogether.
And credit Team Alvarez for recognizing that reality as they’ve reportedly made statement to the press that they intend to target Mayweather’s body rather than try to outbox the modern day great or go head-hunting.
Perhaps Alvarez is big enough, young enough, quick enough to cut off the ring and put some genuine punishment on Mayweather?
Evidently someone in Mayweather’s camp must agree on some level as the bout will be fought at a catch weight of 152 pounds.
In contrast, Mayweather went on record after beating Cotto that he wanted to face the Puerto Rican icon at Cotto’s preferred weight of 154 so that there could be no excuses after Mayweather won.
A little something there to think about.
At any rate, Alvarez turned pro at light welter, fought as a welter from 2006 to 2010 but hasn’t scaled below 153 since tangling with Mathew Hatton two years ago.
Will the weight be a factor?
It could cause Alvarez to run low on energy a couple of rounds earlier than he might at 154 and should that occur, it would obviously be an enormous factor in the fight.
Will it cause Alvarez to throw caution to the wind and try to put everything he has into trying to gun down Floyd during the first six rounds?
Let’s hope so! That would be a very entertaining scenario and probably the second best option Alvarez has in trying to go where no man has gone before and introduce the world “loss” to Mayweather’s resume.
Something that could also make a difference in the outcome is the fact that the bout will take place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand, where Mayweather is basically the house fighter as he’s fought no where else since 2007.
Another argument for the Alvarez KO or nothing strategy to be mounted.
But, Team Alvarez has likely done their homework and we will probably see the left jab/right hand strategy that Oscar De La Hoya used with success against Mayweather before the “Golden Boy” stopped jabbing and was outpointed six years ago.
Was Oscar too old at 34 to keep up the approach or did Mayweather, as he has done to so many opponents, make an adjustment and move onto victory?
We could find out the answer to that question on September 14.
Its a wee bit surprising that this bout isn’t taking place in May, 2014 as Mayweather generally faces off against a very high profile Latino opponent on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
One has to wonder just who would be higher profile than Alvarez? A trip up to middleweight to face either Julio Cesar Chavez Jr or Sergio Martinez? Martinez is a bit past it and Junior was exposed by Martinez…a return to light welter to face Danny Garcia? Floyd could probably make 140 but does he really need to? A rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez?
Perhaps Mayweather will dispose of the formula and just fight someone much bigger and very dangerous; Gennady Golovkin or perhaps Andre Ward?
Nah, look for Floyd to head over to England and collect a massive paycheck by facing Amir Khan in a soccer stadium.
As long as he defeats Alvarez. If he defeats Alvarez.
