Saul Alvarez willing to drop down to 150 to fight Mayweather

By Boxing News - 11/29/2011 - Comments

Image: Saul Alvarez willing to drop down to 150 to fight MayweatherBy Allen Fox: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (39-0-1, 29 KO’s) is dead serious about wanting a fight against WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th next year. Alvarez, 21, wants the fight so badly that he’s willing to drop down to 150 to fight Mayweather. That’s only four measly pounds for the hulking Alvarez, that’s a lot of weight.

Alvarez told the Record.com.mx “I’m willing to do down to 150 pounds. [Oscar] De La Hoya said he was going to try to make the Mayweather fight. We’re ready for it.”

First of all, Alvarez isn’t ready for the Mayweather fight, not even close. Alvarez has been spoon fed older and smaller fighters since he captured the vacant World Boxing Council title earlier this year in March against fringe welterweight contender Matthew Hatton. Alvarez hasn’t proven that he can beat the best junior middleweights and here he is calling out Mayweather Jr. It’s too soon for Alvarez and too soon for the fight to be a mega one. Alvarez is just starting to get known by boxing fans in the U.S and none of his fights have been interesting to watch due to his mediocre opposition he’s being fed. Alvarez needs to fight the top names in the division such as Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, Paul Williams, Cornelius Bundrage, Alfredo Angulo, Vanes Martirosyan, James Kirkland, Carlos Molina, Austin Trout, Sergiy Dzinziruk, Erislandy lara, Anthony Mundine and Pawel Wolak before talking about a fight against Mayweather. I’d be willing to bet that some of those fighters would beat Alvarez if Golden Boy was willing to risk putting Alvarez in with someone that could actually still fight.

Alvarez’s fans say he’s only 21 and shouldn’t be rushed, but he’s holding the WBC title, isn’t he? If he’s not to be rushed then he needs to drop the title and get in the slow lane and let the big boys fight. Alvarez can cruise around with his training wheels on until Golden Boy is willing to take them off and put in with the top fighters. But for Alvarez to be calling out Mayweather fight now is more than a joke. It reeks of someone out just to get a payday. We’ve got enough of those types of fighters bring down boxing, we don’t need another. Boxing needs competitive fights and right now Alvarez would be boxed silly by Mayweather. No would enjoy watching that fight unless you love mismatches.

De La Hoya will obviously try hard to put this fight together because this would be an in house fight for Golden Boy Promotions. However, I can’t see Mayweather agreeing to this. He has enough business sense to see that the fight is way too premature. Alvarez is still teething on fringe contenders and hasn’t come close to fighting his first dangerous opponent. The soft matchmaking for Alvarez has hurt him because every one of his fights in the past year has been boring, one-sided fights. There’s no drama with Alvarez’s fights because he’s been matched too softly.



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