In a matter of hours, one of the most important fights in recent years in boxing will take place. Saul Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will enter the ring. The whole world is wondering who will emerge victorious from this confrontation, and our portal will not stand aside either. We will try to assess the qualities of a boxer and predict the final result.
Attack
Many believe that Floyd is not a bright attacking boxer, but this is just a delusion. Mayweather throws a lot of punches and most of them hit the target, his style is economical and prudent, the punches are quite strong and incredibly accurate. Mayweather in recent years was able to knock out Victor Ortiz and Ricky Hatton, but if with the first it was a surprise effect and a rather controversial situation, then the harsh Briton was brutally knocked out, but it’s still worth noting that Floyd works more for points and he doesn’t have a paramount task to finish the opponent. Saul Alvarez is famous for his aggressive style and, at every opportunity, turns on pressure, starting a bombardment on the opponent's hull. Alvarez hits harder than Mayweather, obviously, and throws more punches. In the last fight against Austin Trout, the red-haired Mexican was able to knock down an opponent and this was the first time in his career that an American was on the floor of the ring. In a fight, Alvarez will most likely be number one and attack to the fullest. In this component, Saul has a minimal advantage, but do not underestimate the offensive power of Floyd.
Advantage:
Protection
Floyd Mayweather Jr has arguably the best defense in the history of professional boxing. His opponents don't even have to think to aim at his head. Mayweather's defense is unique and it is hardly worth describing it again, for this it is worth devoting an entire book as a guide to young boxers. Saul Alvarez excelled in this component in the fight against Austin Trout, when the opponent could not catch the Mexican with a jab and missed his trademark combinations. Alvarez has a great defense, but Mayweather has a genius defense, which is why he is one of the best boxers in history, regardless of the weight class. In this component, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has an obvious advantage.
Advantage:
Gas tank level
Both boxers have excellent physical endurance, Mayweather is always ready to go even 18 rounds, as he practices in his training process. Floyd's opponents always had chances in the first half of the fight, but from the middle of the fight, Mayweather always began to control the course of the fight by adding speed and increasing the pace. Saul Alvarez is not far behind in this component, which he showed in the last fight against Trout, where he was able to add from the 7th round. There is approximate equality in this component, because there is no doubt that both boxers will easily cover the distance of 12 rounds without slowing down.
Advantage: equality
Chin
Mayweather and Alvarez are undefeated boxers, so it's hard to talk about who has a stronger chin. Floyd survived the bombardment from Shane Mosley, and the Mexican is so confident in destroying his rivals that even so far no one has been able to properly hit him. We can safely say that neither Alvarez nor Mayweather will fall into a knockout from a single blow. This component is equal.
Advantage: equality
Spirit of the Gladiator
Mayweather and Alvarez are boxers of the highest class and will fight to the end. In this component, there will be a clear advantage on the side of Mayweather, because he went through dozens of fights against eminent boxers and never let anyone doubt his advantage. Floyd's experience and intelligence will play a decisive role in this fight.
Advantage:
Bottom line: We have not touched on such items as experience, intelligence, physical strength, but this is not needed. Mayweather's team did a smart thing to lure the Mexican into the right weight and Alvarez was unlike himself in the weigh-in procedure, which will take a toll on Saul's qualities in the fight. Alvarez does not have enough experience in such fights to compete with the best boxer in the world. Mayweather will win by 2 rounds, but he will most likely be able to knock down Alvarez.
Forecast site: Floyd Mayweather Jr 115-112
How often in pre-match predictions is there a significant part of the audience that prefers Floyd Mayweather's opponent? I suppose such cases in the career of "Handsome" can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Is it because Floyd still shows some caution in choosing opponents, or is he really unmatched, and any boxer who enters the ring against him is doomed to a fiasco? To give an unambiguous answer to this question, strictly adhering to one point of view, it would be, in my opinion, wrong.
If we soberly evaluate Mayweather's career in recent years, we can conclude that his last dangerous challenge was back in 2007, when he fought Ricky Hatton. What happened after? Juan Manuel Marquez is truly a legendary boxer. But a sharp jump through two weights at a fairly advanced age guaranteed the Mexican not the best physical form, and his successes in battles with Manny Pacquiao can only be explained by the fact that he successfully adapted to the Pac-Man style in their previous meetings, which took place in the scales below. Shane Moseley is no less a legendary figure, but apparently, his peak of form passed a few years before the long-awaited meeting with Floyd. Miguel Cotto is a great boxer, but by the time of the fight with Mayweather, he had already suffered two heavy defeats, after which he was no longer the same, and many of his disadvantages, which, it would seem, were not so visible before, began to manifest themselves more clearly. In a year like 2007 or 2008, their fight with Floyd would have been much more expected and intriguing. Robert Guerrero and Victor Ortiz are excellent boxers, but the difference in class is painfully visible, which deprived the fight of intrigue. For his next fight, Mayweather is still almost an unconditional favorite, but this time the chances of his opponent do not look as illusory as those of their predecessors.
If you go into the details of the intermediate weight category agreed by the parties, you cannot ignore the fact that Saul Alvarez will significantly outweigh his opponent in weight on the day of the fight. It is possible that the difference in gravity will reach ten kilograms, which can play a decisive role in some episodes of the battle, especially in those when it will take on a power character. But it is also important that Mayweather's opponent will not just be a big guy, but a really high-class and skilled boxer and one of the best, but, most likely, the best representative of his division and one of best boxers world regardless of weight.
And yet, no matter how first-class Alvarez’s skills are in the ability to defend with the body, counterattack and conduct a “smart” fight, it is obvious to everyone: to compete in these components with Floyd and prefer positional boxing to aggression and total pressure, he will clearly not be comfortable, and in this scenario, you can get a devastating defeat with a minimum of successful moments. Much faster, more agile and superior in timing, Mayweather will only be happy with such tactics of the opponent. Therefore, the main task of the Mexican saffron in this fight will be to correctly use the superiority in size, combining smart pressing with a rough bulk, taking as a model, say, the tactics of Miguel Cotto or Oscar De La Hoya, who managed not to turn into a purely receiving side in the fight with "Money". and look competitive.
It would seem that what to do in such a battle for Saul is more than obvious. But here two problems come to the fore: firstly, Canelo's boxing style, developed in recent fights, is not focused on total pressure and power boxing. He is no longer the aggressive pressurer who crushed his opponents for nothing and increased the pace. Having perfected his technique and noticeably improved his defensive skills, Saul has actually turned from a classic Mexican fighter into a chess player who not only puts pressure and tries to finish the fight as soon as possible, but methodically aims and tries to catch his opponent on a mistake. As I said earlier, in order not to look ridiculous, for the sake of one fight, this style needs to be radically changed and returned to its roots, because it will certainly not work to beat and outwit Mayweather.
The second problem is footwork and the inability to break the distance. And if earlier the question about them remained open, then after the duel with Austin Trout it is impossible not to pay attention to this shortcoming of Alvarez. However, here it is worth paying tribute to the Mexican: Saul managed to compensate for him with the ability to rebuild during the battle, lure the opponent on himself in time and work in a counterattack. These skills helped Alvarez snatch victory in the most dangerous and difficult fight of his career.
As for the current form of Mayweather, in my opinion all the talk about his decline turned out to be nothing more than unsubstantiated assumptions. Floyd is just as fast, agile and fresh as ever. After hearing critics who no longer seem to know what to grab on to, that in his last fights he stagnates at the ropes for too long, Mayweather fought Robert Guerrero, being in constant motion. And if in some episodes Floyd was pressed against the ropes, then it was more his own initiative than Robert's success.
But if in a fight with the "Ghost" Floyd could just as easily follow any other tactic, then in a fight with Alvarez he should have maneuvered as much as possible, given the superiority of the opponent in physical and striking power and lack of footwork. To stagnate for a long time, providing the Mexican with opportunities even for defensive attacks, would be an unjustified risk.
In the final part of the article, I decided to change myself a little. The author of analytical articles containing forecasts should try to hide his sympathies and remain open-minded. However, I'll be honest - I'm rooting for Alvarez and sincerely wish him victory. He has, I believe, a few more chances than many people think, and with well-constructed tactics and due physical training he will be able to at least arrange a competitive battle.
It would be wrong for Saul to turn down the opportunity to face the best boxer in the world right now. The competition in his weight and neighboring divisions is high, and if he wishes, he will be able to face off with most of them at any time, but if he misses the chance to fight Mayweather now, then this opportunity might not be presented. For Floyd, in turn, this is the most money-making fight possible. Not counting, of course, the fight with Manny Pacquiao. Therefore, everything came together so that this fight has become extremely relevant and in demand at this particular moment in time. Now or never!
Site Editors Predictions:
Alexander Gordopolov: Mayweather by decision;
Teimuraz Shalelashvili: Mayweather by decision;
Alexander Amosov: Mayweather by decision;
Vladimir Gorbatov: Mayweather by decision.
The preview was prepared by Teimuraz Shalelashvili.
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Expected with great interest by all boxing fans, the duel between the 36-year-old American Floyd Mayweather(45-0-0, 26 KOs) and a 23-year-old Mexican Saul Alvarez(42-1-1, 30 KOs) in reality turned out to be an almost one-sided fight, in which the best boxer in the world at the moment, regardless of weight, arranged a uniform master class in the ring demonstrating his honed skills. Mayweather recently declared that he is the epitome of modern boxing. And indeed it is. Floyd has once again demonstrated a smart and very effective fighting style. It also confirmed the tendency of boxing to move away from the reflex and intuitiveness of past decades towards rationality and refinement, which, according to a considerable number of fans of this sport, have led to a certain loss of entertainment.
One way or another, but in the fight against the young hope of Mexico, Mayweather appeared to be an almost perfect boxer, throwing off the “rust” plaque that was visible in his actions in the previous May fight against the Mexican-American Robert Guerrero.
Despite his solid age by boxing standards, Floyd seems to have returned to the right rhythm of fighting, leaving behind a year of downtime and reappearing in all his signature, elusive beauty.
In the first round, Mayweather "sat on his front foot" and began to work carefully from a long distance. It was evident that Alvarez approached the fight in very good shape for himself. But this was not enough to at least fight on equal terms with Floyd. It immediately became clear that the black American was too fast for the Mexican. However, this alignment was observed in almost all Mayweather fights. While still in a state of freshness, Alvarez obviously tried to take advantage of this in order to catch a venerable opponent in a successful blow for himself. However, although Saul rushed forward, trying to carry out lightning-fast attack attacks, on the whole he fought quite prudently and carefully.
In the second three-minute period, some of the Mexican's blows began to hurt Mayweather, but they fell either in passing or at the end. Floyd was very quick and flexible on defense and unexpected on offense, working mostly single sharp jabs. In the third segment of the battle, the American began to successfully connect his right hand. Mayweather threw off some of the stiffness of the first two rounds, and now it has become clearly visible that he managed to remove that small “rust” that he had in his previous fight against Robert Guerrero. Having liberated himself, Floyd began to act very quickly on his feet, while not forgetting to constantly stab the opponent who was trying to pursue his jab.
In the fourth round, after Alvarez "ate" several unpleasant blows in a row, which he simply did not see, Saul loaded Floyd below the belt. For which, of course, he immediately received a scolding from referee Kenny Baylis. And Mayweather has already, as they say, caught his wave. He began to whip the Mexican heartily with his sharp, lightning strikes, immediately leaving after each such attack to a safe distance. And at times, Floyd successfully counterattacked with single counter punches, demonstrating the splendor and refinement of his skills. It seemed that Mayweather was trying to prove to his young ambitious rival that he was able to surpass him in all components of boxing.
The fact that Floyd's reflexes are still in perfect order was also evident in the fifth three-minute period. It looked like an experienced professor examining a "green" student. Mayweather simply dismantled his opponent. In the sixth segment of the battle, the American again constantly twitched Alvarez. The situation in the ring began to look more and more like declassing. Nothing has changed in the seventh round either: Floyd often landed punches of his choice and easily evaded the Mexican's retaliatory attacks.
In the eighth three-minute period, Mayweather finally decided to give the initiative to his opponent for a while, focusing on defensive actions. Alvarez, of course, tried to take advantage of this, heartily swinging blows after a skillfully elusive opponent. However, most of these "shots" were empty. Floyd, on the other hand, maneuvered perfectly around the ring, not
forgetting to inflict a variety of counterattacks. In the ninth round, Mayweather again began to effortlessly “shoot” the Mexican, while almost not missing himself. The 10th three-minute period was also marked by a one-sided course of the battle, which Alvarez was simply unable to bend to his side. Floyd, on the other hand, demonstrated a kind of master class in both attacking and counterattacking work.
The penultimate round was another three-minute exemplary boxing from Mayweather. At times, Floyd, who was catching courage, was just having fun in the ring. The American, who did not decide the final segment of the battle, decided to spend it on a quiet wave, not trying to exacerbate the events that took place in the ring, for which the spectators who filled the Las Vegas MGM Grand arena even booed him a little. However, after the final gong sounded, no one had any questions about the winner. But that's just how it seemed. In fact, one of the side judges, Cynthia J. Ross, for some reason she knew, rated this fight as a draw - 114-114. However, two other judges turned out to be more sober, seeing the American as the winner of this one-sided fight - 116-112 and 117-111.
Thus, Mayweather became the unified WBC and WBA junior middleweight champion, and Alvarez suffered his first defeat in the professional ring. In a post-match interview, Floyd paid tribute to his opponent and thanked his father, to whose coaching services he returned even before the last fight with Guerrero. “Canelo is a young and strong champion. I take my hat off to him and Mexico. He is a true champion with a big heart. He is young, so he will be back. I've been boxing for 17 years and I'm still strong. I want to thank my father. He said that in the opening rounds I was squeezed - and he was right. I listened to what he said in between. My dad had a great fight plan and I just got in the ring and did my job."
Alvarez admitted his defeat, noting that the main problem for him was the superiority of the opponent in speed. “Despite all the efforts, I just could not keep up with him, he was elusive. We didn't know how to catch him in the ring, it's simple. He is a great boxer,” said the Mexican. Now Mayweather, who earned at least $ 41.5 million for this fight, will choose an opponent for his next fight. Among the possible candidates are Puerto-American Danny Garcia and Mexican Carlos Molina, who won the same boxing evening, as well as Pakistani-British Amir Khan, Americans Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley, Russian Ruslan Provodnikov, Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez. Although, for sure, most boxing fans would still most of all like to see Floyd Mayweather in the same ring with Filipino Manny Pacquiao.
