By Gabreal Gallegos
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. The youngest EVER to win the Light Middleweight belt.
It just doesn’t sound right saying that sentence. Let’s be clear about one thing. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is a good boxer, however, is he a deserving champion that won the belt by beating the best in his weight division. No.
His promoters will have you believe that while he is a good boxer on the cusp of being a great if not legendary champion, he still needs work…and by work what his promoters are really saying is, he needs more fights under his belt. The statement is not a shock nor is it typically surprising a fighter that is only 21 years old to be still finding his rhythm, power, mental game and many other attributes a professional boxer needs to stay competitive. This is especially true for a young up and coming fighter such as Canelo. However, Alvarez has been a pro since 15 and now he is the WBC Light Middleweight Champion of the world. Therefore, the words such as time, progress, develop should have been established well before Alvarez won a title. This is not the case and now, Alvarez and Goldenboy have to decide how they are going to move forward with his career.
On September 17th Canelo will face reality TV contestant on The Contender season 1 member Alfonso Gomez. Gomez is not a bad choice; it’s a safe choice with a name. Gomez is not a deserving contender for the Light Middleweight belt. So, why is Gomez fighting for a title in less than 3 weeks? It’s because Alvarez is not ready for any of the big names that can not only beat him but could ruin his very promising career. It’s because Alvarez is still a work in progress, he has good power, nice range and a decent chin- but his defense, footwork, speed and power still need some work. Yes, he has some power but not nearly the power he needs to stay competitive at 154lb or 160lb if he ever decides to move up in weight.
His boxing tool chest needs to get more complete and until he is able to face real competition fans will never know if he has the ability to beat the likes of Cotto, Margarito or Paul Williams. This is the issue with Canelo, he is getting a pass and being allowed to fight the Gomez’s, Matthew Hatton’s and over the hill Baldomir’s in the boxing game today; instead of facing the best fighters the Light Middleweight class has to offer. This is a safe move by Goldenboy as it seems Goldenboy had a bit of a struggle of matching some of their fighters up with tougher competition then they should have been facing early in their career only to see them lose and never quit live up to the potential Goldenboy had hoped. (anyone remember Vicente Escobedo)
In the end Alvarez and Goldenboy have made their plan clear-set Canelo up with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr route. Play it safe, but talk Canelo up as if he is one fight away from fighting the toughest guys in his division only keep him away from any potential threat for at least another year or so. It’s not a plan that you can blame a team that is aware their prize fighter is not ready for a real test. Alvarez already has the belt all they have to do now is match make Alvarez with boxers that have a name but not much more. No speed, no power and definitely no one that can be a threat, This will work and I for one wouldn’t be surprised if they attempt to match Bernard Hopkins 20 win record…Only kidding, but..You never know.
And then…
Canelo, is a huge star in the making, he just needs to be matched correctly for a while, but the issue I have with that is he is a champion. Champions fight the best fighters out there…Well at least they used to. Today fighters are all about the business. The promoters make fans think that Clottey, Gomez, and Mosley are the best possible fights that can be made. Roy Jones Jr was the best at making bullshit fights seem relevant and now we will see how Goldenboy and company make out with Canelo’s and his career.
Low blows and cancellations seem to be the theme of August. Let’s hope that September brings what fans have been waiting for. Andre Berto is back in the ring, an exciting fight between Gamboa and DeLeon, Mayweather Ortiz fight, add that with HBO 24/7, College and NFL football season getting under way and the next 3 weeks should be pretty entertaining.
Greetings,
ReplyDeleteI understand what you're saying about Canelo but I think you're being a bit unfair. It's not exactly accurate to say that champions from yesteryear used to fight the best fighters available all the time. Sure, sometimes they did, but not before going up against a few well-chosen opponents and putting some money into their (and their promoters') bank accounts after winning the title. That's been going on since John L. Sullivan's day and age.
I think Golden Boy is being smart with Canelo. He has the potential to be a huge star so why not bring him along slowly, especially considering the fact he only had 20 amateur bouts? Perhaps Gomez isn't the most worthy challenger but he has some skills and is a decent name on Alvarez's resume. Canelo should be too strong for him and may stop him with a left to the liver or two. And I think he has plenty enough power to stay competitive at both 154lbs and 160lbs. He's got kayo power in both fists, plus he has the quickness of youth. Time will tell so no need to push him too fast with so much money to be made.
Anyway, thanks for your time.
Ted M.
Huntington Beach, CA