Most boxing experts consider The Black Hercules: Ken Norton as on of the top 50 boxers of all time. I agree with that and believe that if he'd had a better chin and defense he'd been one of the best fighters ever.
When I first heard this fight was going to happen I couldn't believe it. All the experts were saying the fight wasn't going to happen. I wanted the fight to happen and said "Mayweather is ducking Canelo", but clearly that ended up not being the case. I figured that Canelo was a serious up and coming fighter, and as good as the name would look on Floyd's resume he still wouldn't take the chance.
Canelo Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs)
I really like the way that Canelo fights. He stalks his opponent and stays in there. His defense doesn't take him out of the combat zone. It's similar to the peek-a-boo defense used by Mike Tyson, but Canelo reminds me of the late Tommy Morrison. He proved he could box against Austin Trout, however I believe he's a better fighter when he's brawling and trying to corner his opponent. He's got knockout power in both hands.
Floyd Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs)
From a style standpoint Mayweather is one of the best fighter of all time. His defense is constant and he strikes from it with extreme precision. The more aggressive his opponent the easier he seems to dismantle them. The guys who try to sit back and pick him off end up having that very thing done to them. Mayweather isn't just undefeated, but he's never really been tested. Nobody has ever made him dig down and find out what kind of heart he has. When Miguel Cotto bloodied his nose; Floyd proceeded to destroy him for the remainder of the fight.
Prediction
Floyd doesn't typically start very fast. I don't think he will this time either. He'll sit back and see what Canelo intends on doing. Once he's figured out that Canelo is going to come forward he will keep moving and changing the angles while he hits him. It's highly likely that Canelo will become less aggressive and try to box after finding out that Floyd's hands are so much faster. The fight will become semi boring for a couple of rounds while Canelo tries to out box Mayweather. I think he'll quickly realize that he's not trying to out box Austin Trout, and that he'll never beat Floyd if he keeps trying to do so. That's when he'll turn it into a brawl. That opens up the only chance I see for Canelo to win. If he can catch Mayweather it will be from the middle to late rounds.
If Canelo hasn't caught him with something by the eighth round then it probably won't happen. Stamina issues have been a factor in Canelo's longer fights. Mayweather will give him the first round and maybe the second. After that he'll have figured out what Canelo intends to do, and he'll turn his strengths into weaknesses. In round four Canelo tries to box with Floyd. Hopefully Alvarez doesn't try to stay with that strategy, and I don't think he will. Mayweather will outpoint him and leave no chance for Canelo to win. The brawling will put him in Floyd's wheelhouse. Canelo has good defense, but against hand speed like Floyd's it won't be effective. He will be coming straightforward all night. Mayweather will pick him off all night while cruising to a decision victory.
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Yes, all of these articles were written in favor of Canelo. It makes you wonder if they're not just trying to sell the fight. I don't think they are, but the public opinion is that Canelo Alvarez is going to lose a 12 round decision. I've said before that I don't see how Canelo could win a decision. That's exactly what the guy who wrote the first article thinks. If this fight goes 12 rounds Mayweather will be the one with his hand raised in victory.
If there is any chance for Alvarez to win this fight it'll be by knockout. From the outside looking in he seems to have no chance of beating Mayweather. Canelo stalks his opponent using a form of the peek-a-boo defense. He pretty much stands right there or comes forward. I can only see Floyd moving around him while he punishes Canelo from the outside. If Mayweather frustrates the young fighter, then I see no chance for Canelo. He has to keep cool and watch for openings.
If he's going to knock Mayweather out, and we've established that he will not outpoint him, then he will have to do what Miguel Cotto and Oscar De La Hoya did. They pressured Mayweather and cornered him every chance they had. They pounded him in the clinch and took it to him when he wanted a break. There will be opportunities for Canelo to get to Mayweather, and when there are he must take them. It will be inside one of those times that Canelo could deliver the knockout.
It's being reported that former heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison has died. I always liked the fighting style of Tommy "The Duke" Morrison. I'd planned to take a look back at his career late last month, and in honor of his passing that's what we're going to do.
won 48 (KO 42)
+
lost 3 (KO 3)
+
drawn 1
=
52
rounds boxed 172 KO% 80.77
Tommy burst onto the boxing scene in the late 1980's. His manager Bill Cayton was the former manager of Mike Tyson. There was little doubt that he saw similarities between the two. Mike Tyson had better defense and probably more power in both hands. Their paths would have more than likely crossed at some point, but Tyson lost his undisputed championship in 1990 to Buster Douglas, and Morrison would suffer his first lost one year later to Ray Mercer.
Ray Mercer had knocked out Tommy in the most brutal fashion. He'd win ten fights over two years and win the vacant heavyweight championship against George Foreman. His second loss came to Michael Bentt in 1993. Tommy Morrison had a left hook that could knockout anyone. His left was compared to that of Joe Frazier, but many of those who'd seen both said Tommy's was harder.
Tommy Morrison has always been one of my favorite fighters. In the fight with Lennox Lewis he was over matched, but he still put up a good fight. Lewis had gotten to him often and early. With an injured eye it was only a matter of time before Lennox defeated him. It was the last time that Tommy would compete for a heavyweight title belt.
Sugar Shane Mosley is the common opponent for Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez. Both of these men fought Carlos Baldomir, but not as recent as their fights with Mosley. A fighter's will is the last thing to go. Shane Mosley was a game fighter in both of these bouts.
Floyd Mayweather vs Shane Mosley
This fight wasn't what it would've been years earlier. Mosley was still faster than most of the guys Mayweather had been fighting. There were moments early when it looked like Shane might be able to test Mayweather, but when Floyd figured out what he was trying to do, figured out his angle and approach, this fight was all but over. Shane slowed down and Floyd got faster.
Canelo Alvarez vs Shane Mosley
The first thing you notice in this fight is that Alvarez had his way with Shane. There were moments where Shane was able to showcase his speed, but he was ineffective for the most part in a decision loss to Canelo Alvarez. This was a step up for Canelo. He passed the test in this fight and proved he was an elite fighter. At several points in the fight Canelo had his way with the older Shane Mosley.
The Common Opponent
I'm not sure the whole common opponent thing tells us what will happen. Mayweather and Canelo both beat Shane Mosley, but they did it with different styles and in completely different ways. Floyd outsmarted him and forced him to fight the wrong fight. Canelo overpowered him and forced him out of his comfort zone. When the speed diminished over the course of the fight Canelo punished him with powerful combinations.
In an interview with Ben Thompson Shane answered some questions about the upcoming fight.
BT: Shane, I know you said you're staying neutral as far as
Mayweather vs. Canelo goes, but because you've been in there with both
fighters, give me an idea of what both guys can expect from the other
when they finally meet on September 14.
SM: There's going to be some times where Floyd is gonna be like, "Wow!
This kid's pretty good; he's pretty swift." And Canelo's going to be
like, "Wow! He's really hard to hit; he's really fast and really good." I
think they're both going to have that in their head when they fight
each other. They're not going to expect the other to be as good as they
are. I think Canelo thinks, "Okay, I'm bigger than him, so I'm going to
be able to manhandle him or get close to him and hit him with what I
want to." Mayweather believes, "He's a little kid and he's not going to
hit me with nothing. He's not fast enough, he's not smart enough, and
I'm going to beat him because I'm superior mentally." They're both going
to have their issues that they gotta work out inside the ring. Like I
said, I'm neutral. I just want them to have a great fight. May the best
man win.
