By Jody Kohn
Canelo Alvarez is all set to return to action on December 6, against Joshua Clottey in San Antonio. Since losing to Manny Pacquiao back in 2010, Clottey has rattled off three consecutive victories. A win against Canelo would go a long way to erasing that loss to Pacquiao from the minds of many who roundly criticized his performance in that fight. Losing by a wide margin, it appeared he was more concerned with surviving the fight than winning it.
Canelo was last seen in the ring against Erislandy Lara in July. Scoring a split decision victory, Canelo became part of one of the classic discussions of whether or not pure boxing should count for more than aggression and power. Lara danced around the ring for the majority of the fight, while Canelo stalked him from corner to corner. In the end, two of the three judges preferred Canelo’s style and fans across the world engaged in furious debate over the decision.
Clottey marks another tough challenger for Alvarez, a fact that his promoter Oscar De La Hoya appreciates.
“If you think about Canelo, he’s a throwback fighter. He fought Mayweather, Trout, Lara. Name another fighter in recent years that’s been fighting the toughest guys back to back. Canelo wants to fight the best. This is why people love Canelo. He is willing to fight all comers,” said De La Hoya.
If Alvarez gets through this test, there is a strong possibility that Miguel Cotto lays on the near horizon. That is a fight that excites boxing fans as much as any. There is a strong possibility that that fight would go head-to-head against a Floyd Mayweather fight, should he elect to return to action in May. Mayweather, who beat Canelo last year, is coming off a win over Marcos Maidana this past weekend.
