By Albert Alvarez
We have heard it and seen it all before. Many have tried, and all have come up short. 44 opponents to be exact, and on September 14th, Canelo Alvarez will attempt to be the first to place a blemish on Floyd Mayweathers’ ledger.
In the sport of boxing, all it takes is one perfectly placed shot, one mistake, and it all can go down from there. Not a single fighter understands this more than Mayweather. That is the main reason why his defense inside that ring is impeccable. His timing, conditioning, and accuracy is also always on another level. So if you are going to challenge the best fighter on the planet, then you best bring your A+ game.
Two things that Canelo must know, is that you cannot outbox or out-think Floyd. It’s just not possible. So Canelo must think of clever ways to beat Floyd by changing the pace on him. Floyd always looks for ways to be in command at all times. He will lean in to get you to bite, then he pulls back to nail you with a rapid straight right. He will do this over and over again to the point where he mentally frustrates you and takes you completely out of your game plan. Money May is not only a master at disarming his opponent, but he does so by operating at a certain pace.
To me, Canelo’s hard, stiff jab is his very best weapon of use. It shoots out fast and is extremely hard. Miguel Cotto has the same type of jab, only Cotto releases it upward opposed to straight ahead. That same jab is what worked so well for Cotto when he faced Mayweather a little over a year ago. Alvarez will have to stay firing that jab, but must change speeds on it and must not stand in the same spot that he was in when he fires out that razor jab. Floyd is such a great counter puncher that he will find a way to counter the jab, so that is the reason why moving away after you snap that jab will be key.
Another great skill that Canelo has is the way that he is able to place his shots together from top to bottom. Every punch seems to be powerful and so precise. Using punch variations behind the jab will help in finding a home for the hook upstairs and downstairs. Fernando Vargas was extremely good at doing this, but what made Vargas special was the way he did so by closing in on you and would suffocate your punch entries. But while on the inside, Vargas would take your glove down with force if you attempted to raise it up and place it by your cheek for protection. Great inside tactic to use, not sure why more fighters do not adopt it and use it as well.
As of right now, not many fans or observers are giving Canelo more than a 35% chance of beating Mayweather, but I feel that Alvarez’s chances of winning increase if he employs the things mentioned above. Conditioning, focus, ring smarts, and determination must all be at an all time high for the young undefeated lion to be able to shock the world.
Will Canelo be able to do just that? Only time will tell. Speaking of tell, how many truths shall father time tell on fight night? Will age and effects of past battles show face for Floyd? Only one way to find out.
http://youtu.be/CU3FbBAX1a0
