Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez: Mayweather Stands Alone
Photos by Tom Casino for Showtime
by Gautham Nagesh
LAS VEGAS, Nev.–It was supposed to be the fight of the year, and maybe the decade. For the thousands of Mexican and Mexican-American fans that descended on the Strip this week, it was a chance to witness the changing of the guard. To see their fresh-faced young idol dethrone the sport’s perennial kingpin, and assume his position as boxing’s top draw.
Instead, as we predicted, Saturday night’s main event served only to reinforce what we already knew: Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the best boxer in the world, and it isn’t close. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was viewed by many, including this website, as the most credible challenge Mayweather has faced since Oscar de la Hoya. Yet when the final bell rang, Alvarez found himself in the same position as the many men that came before him: thoroughly whipped and searching for answers as to how one beats Money Mayweather.[[MORE]]
A true junior middleweight with a 15-lb weight advantage inside the ring, Canelo’s youth and strength were supposed to make up for Floyd’s vast advantages in experience and skill. In reality, Canelo’s size was of little help because he chose to stand at distance and try to out-box one of the best boxers to ever lace up a pair of gloves. Canelo never seemed to solve the puzzle that is Mayweather, or find an effective approach and stick to it. At times he had success with his jab and right hand, but nothing sustained or significant enough to change the outcome.
Floyd began the fight assertively, coming forward against the bigger man. But it wasn’t long before he back to bouncing around the ring, circling the plodding Alvarez and pot-shotting him with right hands. The best hope for Alvarez going into the fight was that Mayweather’s 36 years would finally catch up with him on this night. But Floyd looked positively sprightly compared to Canelo, whose sluggish footwork left him constantly a step behind the superlative Mayweather.
Canelo had some success at times by landing the stiff jab, obviously a strategy we approve of. He took the second round on our card with some body work, but already the fault lines had begun to appear. Even on the rare occasions Canelo hit Mayweather with something other than a jab, it was rarely a quality punch. More often, a glancing blow would deflect off Mayweather’s head or shoulders.
Meanwhile, Floyd’s blows were unerringly precise, and surprisingly potent. Most of us thought Canelo could hurt Floyd, if he could land. Few expected that Mayweather would be the one pummeling the larger Canelo. The 4th round in particular saw fantastic action, as both men landed hard rights to the head. At that point, I had the fight even. Canelo did well again in the 5th round, but Floyd’s superior footspeed had already started to tell.
Mayweather simply floated around the ring, flicking punches out smoothly and gracefully, while Canelo trudged after him. A frustrated Canelo unleashed a flurry of punches in the 6th, but Mayweather blocked most of them, and slipped in some hard rights of his own that found home. In the 7th, Floyd began putting his punches together, and Canelo appeared unable to get out of the way.
Given the size advantage, fighting in close would seem to be a natural strategy for Canelo, so he could lean on Mayweather in hopes of wearing him out. Instead, it was Mayweather who directed the action, and who forced Canelo to the ropes with vicious uppercut. As Canelo reeled from the blow and covered up, Floyd swooped in and pounded him with combinations. Having proven he could hurt Canelo, Mayweather returned to dominating the fight.
The final rounds were more of the same, with Mayweather making Canelo miss, followed by a hard counter or combination to redden the Mexican’s face. The most striking aspect of the fight was how much it looked like recent Floyd Mayweather efforts, despite the supposed step-up in competition. The pair stared each other down after the 10th round, after which Mayweather resumed playing with Alvarez like a cat with large, ginger-haired mouse.
The only negative for Mayweather supporters was the scorecards, which should have been a formality. Judge C.J. Ross firmly established her incompetence and possible blindness last year by scoring Tim Bradley-Manny Pacquiao for Bradley, yet somehow drew the assignment for the biggest fight of the year. She stayed true to form, delivering a shocking and upsetting scorecard of 114-114 in a fight where even the most ardent Alvarez fan would be hard-pressed to award him more than three rounds.
Fortunately, the other two judges saw the fight correctly and awarded Floyd the majority decision, a technicality that will be forgotten. There was zero doubt about the result of this fight. Alvarez was drawn, measured, and found wanting. Mayweather is simply another class of fighter, and it increasingly seems unlikely that anyone will be able to beat him while he remains close to his peak form.
One-sided result aside, the fight will likely be judged a success by almost any measure. Golden Boy Promotions president Richard Schaefer told reporters that total live attendance had come 16,746, plus another 25,403 fans that viewed the fight on closed circuit TV. While I was in the press center and not the arena for the fight, the energy surrounding Canelo and his fans has been undeniable all weekend. Hopefully Alvarez can recover from this setback, because he already has the drawing power of a superstar, if not the skills.
As for Mayweather, who knows what comes next. Doubtless they will find someone to fill the marquee, and come up with some sort of marketing pitch to convince people the fight is worth paying $60, even with the result beyond doubt. And we will pay. There will always be a market for the best, no matter the cost. No one knows this better than Floyd “Money” Mayweather
The reason we watch sports is to see, and maybe touch greatness. Floyd Mayweather is many things, not all of them good. But he is undeniably great. Tonight, millions of people tuned in to find out if Canelo could finally end Floyd’s run. Instead, they saw once again that Mayweather stands alone, in boxing, and perhaps in sports.
There can only be one. And Floyd Mayweather is it.