The greatest fighter of his generation Floyd Mayweather has heard it all before as yet another touted pretender to his throne is put forward for a huge PPV night.
These days, it only takes Mayweather’s name to be on a bill and the main event is already the biggest fight of the year. This time, even the promoters are backing the fighter in the opposite corner.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – at 23, is a Mexican superstar who has bulldozed his way through some good-to-soft tests throughout his career. He is yet to really be proven to the maximum against a seasoned top-level operator like Mayweather.
Granted that names like Shane Mosley and Carlos Baldomir are safe for padding a record. But the question is yet to be asked on whether Alvarez really did show enough in out-pointing the unheralded Austin Trout last time to unify the titles.
Alvarez has taken apart some worthy challengers so far, Although he has never come up against a man at the top of his game like Mayweather is.
I firmly believe Golden Boy should have waited a couple more years before sealing this fight.
CEO Oscar De La Hoya is convinced ‘Canelo’ will win but probably knew that now was as good a time as any to get the two together.
Mayweather’s career is on the verge of taking a downward curve but he’s still by far the best around.
That said, Mayweather showed against Robert Guerrero that he can make almost any fight look a lot easier than it really is. At the moment, I’m not sure whether Alvarez has the tools and ring craft to execute a plan to topple the pound for pound king.
Guerrero was touted to have the capabilities to put Floyd under pressure he’s never felt before. Firm hype that seems to go with the PPV territory of late.
Mayweather answered all those questions emphatically last May.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER vs CANELO PREDICTION
A points win is the obvious choice for most predictors of the September 14 MGM clash. Mayweather himself is eyeing an explosive stoppage win.
The American bids to test the chin of Alvarez as nobody has before. Bold words from Floyd, but I doubt he can pull that off with his recent knockout record of two in seven years.
I’ll have to go with type and say a five or six-point swing will see Mayweather win unanimously in Las Vegas next week.
Phil Jay is Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
