SERIOUS!!! Saul Alvarez vs Alfonso Gomez

You misunderstand me Rantcatrat, I'm not at all against media hype of a fighter, I hate it when they get critical accolades and merit before they earn it. Thus Nonito Donaire getting into the top 10 p4p off the back of a win over Darchinyan two years previously, because Darchinyan went on to become a multiple weight champ really annoyed me. He was fighting bums, and often not looking that great and because Darchinyan was stomping guys like Arce and Mijares Donaire was flying up the p4p rankings. That was wrong imo. Actually following his sensational destruction of Montiel he's starting to justify the hype so I'm getting off his back.

In Canelo's case the Ring haven't yet put him in their p4p rankings and Max and the HBO crew arn't yet showering him with accolades like they do Martinez and Donaire so it's ok.

Regarding Alvarez I'd say the hype and attention are clearly overboard (I don't think he will be great) but the actual assessment of his acomplishments thus far have not.

If he beats Gomez and Max starts saying he's a true p4p fighter now and one of the only rivals to Pacquiao or Mayweather then you can bet I will be complaining!

For what's it worth though, right now I think he's well below that level and needs to be brought along carefully. I'm not sure he could even beat Mayorga yet if Mayorga came to win. I'd certainly not put him anywhere near Cotto or Martinez, not even Cintron or Lara.

But he does have an exciting future and I like the idea of seeing him up against Chavez Jr at some point.

I think fans have unrealistic demands. If they don't think a fighter can beat the best right now then he's shit, a bum. If he's not fighting the absolute hardest opponent you can match him with then he's cherry picking or being spoonfed.

Canelo is 21. He has his whole career ahead of him. The plan for his team is not to get beat up just yet and to pick opposition that test him, but won't derail him. Just be patient and enjoy wathcing him mature into a real dangerous junior middle.

Sure it may be sacrosanct that he has a belt, but it's been this way in boxing for decades now. As I said before it's like somebody complaining every time an unmarried couple have sex, or choose to live together. Yes, we know they are violating God's word and they are openly living in sin in a probably Christian country, but it's the 21st century now. Sexual morality has laregly gone down the toilet and a girl is now considered chaste and virtuous if she only goes to third base on the first date. Get over it. Be celibate if you want, but don't expect the world to join you. Same in boxing. Continue to believe that each belt is a sacred and holy object, to be bestowed only to the most worthy and proven of warriors. You will only end up disappointed when you see that boxing long ago ceased to regard them that way. They are just selling points for a fight, a bartering tool. It doesn't matter though, we have the Ring belts and it's easy to see who the real champs are and indeed, they do get recognised as such.

I just find this pining for a retrun to some mythical period when the belts really mattered pathetically sentimental and unrealisitc, like a puritan harkening back to when no girl sinned sexually, and was a virgin until she met her equally untouched man. Maybe an episode of The Waltons was like that but not real life...

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Originally Posted by JazMerkin

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Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

It's our own fault. Kellerman put it perfectly when he said (paraphrase) "belts today are not signs of achievement, they are marketing tools."

And too many of us subscribe to it. Alvarez is no more a champion than I am. He's a prospect, a promising one, with a lot of work to do and that is how he should be brought along and in my view, how we ought to judge the fight choices.

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I'm no fan of the alphabets, but if you seriously believe that you're completely off your rocker :-\

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Alvarez has ZERO legitimate claim to being CHAMPION. None. (Neither do I;))

It's a bullshit fight...
I mean it's not as bad as when Calzaghe fought Manfredo but it's still bad.

PPV anyone?

[QUOTE=Bilbo;994820]I think some of you guys are a bit clueless about modern boxing to be honest. Holding a paper belt hasn't been seen as significant in terms of evaluating a fighters worth for many years but you all still react as if something shocking is taking place. Isn't that just a complete contradiction while defending this showcase to further a guys 'worth' and visibility etc? I mean "silver Champion" haha? I wouldn't call it shocking really...just calling bullshit on it.

The only belt that matters is the Ring Belt, the alphabet titles just now exist to give fighters marketability, nobody in boxing is saying Canelo is the best at light middle, nor at 21 years of age does he need to be fighting them. He should be fighting someone who is not brought in to 'make him look good'...and Oscar now owns Ring Magazine so I'm beginning to take that with a grain of salt too.

Just let him grow and develop and the better competition will follow. Go grow and develop on ESPN or some undercard, not HBO and a mega media platform main event.

As for Gomez being a joke. Really, why? Because he was on the Contender? Yes. And that he's not very good.

Since losing to Cotto he's been on a very decent run and would be just as deserving of a shot at Bundrage's belt or any of the other champs out there. Sure, for a meaningless strap yeh. Bit of a 'Contender' series rehash :p. But when's the last time you saw K-9 treated like The Next Coming by the premier network for Championship boxing on this scale. This is one show case too many.

He ended the effective career of Jose Luis Castillo and got a win over Soto Karass where he was boxing very well and controlling the fight. Karass certainly looked a lot better against Mike Jones. Castillo was shot full of holes and put on a highly visible PPV event vs Gomez to do exactly what your doing now....drop his name when Gomez was fed to another "superstar" in the making promoted by the same company. Cynical, I know. And Jorge Paez jr ended Castillo career...for now. He got cut with Soto Karass after some good boxing and basically took the cheap way after Soto Karass was coming on

Gomez is the kind of opponent Canelo needs right now. Someone who will be a live opponent, will test him, but shouldn't derail him. Thats called a sparring partner who gets booted from a guys camp for being too ballsy...or an opponent who knows his role.

You people would make the worst boxing matchmakers, you just always want to match a guy so he gets beat and that's it. We need to keep ourselves in check is all Bilbs. As we are to accept Canelo as a work in progress...cough..the fans equally cannot be so eager to drink the kool aid and give a pass when you see a pattern of almost meek match making resulting in some grand anointment happens. He is bordering on a guy who's hype and afforded stage outrun his huge in the ring accomplishments thus far for me. If I want popular I can go watch American Idol


This is a decent match up. Rock beats scissors match up really. He'll get back that 'power' mystic with as willing and as out gunned Gomez will be. Alvarezs solid body work will be served on a silver platter.