As you may surmise, these words were uttered from Floyd Mayweather in response to a reporter’s inquiry about rumors of Canelo Alvarez destroying sparring partners in preparation for his September 14th bout against Mayweather. The sound byte appeared on Showtime’s All Access a preview show chronicling the fighters as they prepare for their bout. Now, usually Floyd “Money” Mayweather isn’t as testy with the press when quizzed about opponents. Traditionally, he opts to make fun of them, distract the press with his riches or on rare occasion show respect for an opponent. However, it seems as if unwittingly Mr. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has done what no other opponent has done in quite some time – get under the skin of Mayweather before the opening bell! So what are the other interesting bits about this super-fight?
The Latest Golden Boy (only with a dash of red)
Could it be that Mayweather is getting testy because Canelo has been receiving quite the lion’s share of attention on their 11-city national press tour? Maybe its because Oscar DeLa Hoya is touting Canelo as a superstar, when the reality is that many of Canelo’s fights have been on Mayweather undercards. Or maybe its because Mayweather has beaten everyone in the Golden Boy stable and resents them trotting out yet another prospect – no matter how full of talent, potential and legitimacy Canelo is. Perhaps it’s all of the above. In any event Mayweather has made it clear that whether the hype is manufactured or real, Canelo’s fans can’t fight for him. At the kick-off press conference in New York City, Mayweather told the crowd as much.
“Mexico has produced some legendary champions. I take my hat off to them. I respect the country of Mexico, but something I’ve always enjoyed about the sport of boxing is that my fans can’t fight for me and his fans can’t fight for him.”
In response Canelo stated, “I’m younger and bigger, which are very important keys, but you must remember that Floyd is a very intelligent fighter, but I’m going to have the right game plan.” Irrespective of either man’s take, this bout will be the toughest either has had in quite some time. Make no mistake this is a super-fight; right up there in the tradition of Leonard-Duran or Tyson-Holyfield, it’s a quality match-up between a sure-fire Hall of Famer and one in the making.
Promotion Aside
With only the weigh-in remaining most of the promotion/trash talking is about over. Its now time, as they say – to get it on. So what’s this fight going to look like? One can never be sure, but we would anticipate that Mayweather would not chance slugging it out with a stronger, bigger and younger man. With his father Floyd Sr., back in his corner, he will likely continue to be a defense-first fighter as he did against Guerrero. He’ll utilize his superior boxing skills to simply out-box Canelo with footwork and his M.O. shoulder rolls. As to strategy Mayweather himself has stated “I’m going to show him a lot of angles. I have a lot of experience, and experience is going to be a factor. It’s going to be real, real different for him at this level.” Now, provided he doesn’t get caught (a la Austin Trout) he should cruise to victory.
Canelo on the other hand seems to be crafting a strategy based on precedent, studying the Cotto and Castillo fights to create a game-plan. He has admitted as much during his media day “I’ve studied tapes of the fights he (Mayweather) had trouble in, like those against Miguel Cotto and Jose Luis Castillo. I’m looking for ways to penetrate Mayweather’s defense like they did. Cotto had success, but couldn’t maintain it. I plan to maintain it.” If Canelo can improve upon the Cotto and Castillo efforts and demonstrate the improved headwork he showed against Trout he could get a few rounds and make it a competitive, if not overall closer fight. If he get’s really lucky – like Powerball lucky – he could catch Mayweather and shock the world.
The End or the Beginning?
There are some wildcard variables to consider here which could factor into the ultimate outcome. For Canelo, it’s his sheer size and strength. Sometimes a fighter can simply overpower another, no matter how much defensive prowess the other demonstrates. If this turns out to be the case, or if Mayweather gets caught Canelo could indeed be “The One.” For, Mayweather it’s literally his hands. He has a history of injuring them during fights – as he did in the Guerrero match. He was able to outscore Guerrero even with only one hand, but don’t think he can do that against Canelo.
Wildcards aside, we see Mayweather winning a close unanimous or split decision, which could nonetheless result in a re-match. Remember Mayweather is only two fights into a six-fight mega-deal with Showtime. With a no true opposition on the horizon, if it’s a close bout either way you can bet Mayweather-Canelo II is in our future.
Photos by Hoganphotos/GBP