The Hype with Saul Alverez (apologies if spelt incorrectly!)

[marbleheadmaui]

The thing with being 'this good' as you say though is that he doesnt seem to be 'that good'. Perhaps im being harsh but any good up and coming fighter should be beating hatton and rhodes, they are gatekeepers. if he had taken them out in 3 or 4 rounds each fair enough but apart from have alot of pro fights, which he has had a few sd's i dont see what he has done to stand out as an outstanding prospect people on here and max kellerman rate him as

He's vastly further along at 20 than almost anyone else in boxing is or has been recently. So he has 6-7 more years before he reaches his physical peak to learn. But you've identified him properly. He's a prospect.

Alvarez is a good modern-day example of your theory that more fights means superior craft, right? Considering the level he is already at - top ten division rated and "world" champion - you must expect him to achieve great things (as long as he doesn't become a drug addict or a drunk or whatever)?

I will confidently predict that Alvarez will be on the slide, if not finished, in 6/7 years time let alone at his peak. Even if he produces great form in the next few years.

37 fights at 20-years-old, already a "world" champion, can sell 15,000 tickets and is headlining HBO productions. He is already in a position where he is forced to face top opposition amongst the "gimmes." Considering losses are more detrimental these days, he is a huge underdog to hand around that long. No?

More fights means superior craft for a given fighter sure. Meaning Alvarez is further along than Alvarez would be had he fought only twenty times. It says some very sad things about the state of the sport that Alvarez is ranked, let alone some sort of titleholder. The guy is a prospect.

The question is does the guy have natural talent? Thus far he seems to have at least some. He's a satisfactory puncher, he has shown the ability to learn and he seems to like fighting. Of course he doesn't have exceptional speed and his craft is not nearly fully developed yet. He really needs to concentrate on keeping his head moving.

I don't know where he'll be in 6-7 years. We seem to have stopped making quality middles these days.

So, basically, if he doesn't live up to your standards, even following the old school path, he never had the talent anyway?
How do you regard amateur fights in a boxers development? Alvarez has had 20 amateur fights and now 37 as a pro - so overall 57 fights. A fighter like Juan Guzman had over 300 amateur contests as well as his 30+ pro bouts.

How important is amateur boxing for fight experience? And is it only natural an inexperienced pro should fight more regular?

[scratching head]

The bold makes no logical sense that I can see. Let me try it this way. Boxing is no different than any other human endeavor. The more one does it, the better one gets (up until of course one gets too old or takes too many blows). But one is still capped by one's potential. One can learn to do everything properly, but if one has slow hands, slow feet, a weak chin and no natural power? he's only going to be able to be so good. The term you'll sometimes hear about a guy who does everything right and still isn't very good is LOFT (lack of effing talent). Put another way, take Floyd Mayweather's toolbox and train him the same way and have him fight the same comp as an untalented, but fully skilled guy? Floyd turns out better. But here's the thing. Take a highly talented, limited skill and craft guy and match him up with a moderately talented highly skilled and crafty guy? I'll bet on the latter everty time.

As far as Alvarez goes specifically? I think his development of skill and craft is essential because I don't see a pile of talent jumping off the screen at me. Do you? Of course I never saw a pile of talent coming off the screen from a guy like Juan Manuel Marquez either and he's done ok.

I think amateur fighting today can be as much detriment as help. Due to the headgear and silly scoring system the two sports are more different than they have ever been. In the ams one doesn't get rewarded for power, bodypunching and toughness the way one does in the pro's.

As far as inexperienced pro's? I can only look at how the greats were brought along and it seems reasonably consistent. Fight every month or more until one is nearly fully developed.

There's been a recent change to the scoring system that should rectify this. What do you mean by toughness?

I've just been at a 3 day event in London called the Haringey Box Cup that has boxers from around the world competing in it. The guy who won the Boxer of the Tournament, displayed all of those qualities to win. In fact, that is what got him it rather than any kind of technical point-scoring. The problem is those kind of qualities tend to see a lot of guys burn out very early as pros.

On Alvarez, I was very impressed. He beat the #4 ranked LMW in the world (& a guy who should have had a shot about a year ago) comfortably & closed the show in style. I loved his head movement & thought this was the perfect example of a guy learning his craft on the job. He's a decent enough titlist after that performance. He may not be ready for Manny, Floyd or Sergio, but who is? I'd fancy him against Cotto.

I am THRILLED the scoring has been changed! Looking forward to see the impact!

The toughness necessary in the pros is fundamentally different, in my view, than that needed in the amateurs for two reasons. First is having to perform while exhausted and depleted. Ten and 12 rounds of concentration, accepting blows etc isn't a little different from four two minute rounds, it is galactically different. The second reason is the inherent safety built into the ams with the headgear and how the referees act. In the pros it is clear it is bloodsport and there has to be additional anxiety due to the lack of those protections.

Completely agree on the bold.