Saul Alvarez: I want to be better than Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.

By Boxing News - 12/28/2012 - Comments

alvarez3By Dan Ambrose: One of the goals that WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) has set for himself is to become a better fighter than boxing great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. (107-6-2, 86 KO’s) was. It’s going to be hard to do because Alvarez has some basic problems that could get in his way. He’s not as fast on his feet as Chavez Sr. was in his prime, as he’s much more of a heavy-bodied fighter without the head movement and crushing power.

Chavez Sr. was a huge puncher at super featherweight to welterweight, whereas Alvarez is someone that has to take his opponents out by an accumulation of punches over many rounds.

Alvarez said to ESPN.com “I just want to keep going and become the best — not just one of the best but the best. I started younger than Julio Cesar Chavez [Sr.], I’ve achieved more things at my age and I’ve got a better grasp of boxing. I want to be better than Julio Cesar Chavez.”

Another area where Alvarez could have problems in the future is his stamina. He gets red in the face and looked visibly tired by the 6th rounds of his fights, and that’s against the weak opposition that he’s been in with. We haven’t yet seen Alvarez face a quality fighter at 154 despite this being his second year as the World Boxing Council junior middleweight champion.

Golden Boy Promotions has done an incredible Houdini-like job of maneuvering Canelo away from the best 154 pounders and instead sticking him with light welterweights like Josesito Lopez, and welterweights like Alfonso Gomez, Shane Mosley and Kermit Cintron. Chavez Sr. never had problems with his stamina during his career. In fact, his stamina was one of his best assets.

If Alvarez really wants to be better than Chavez Sr. then he should step it up and face WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout in his next fight, and if successful, then take on Erislandy Lara, Vanes Martirosyan, Cornelius Bundrage and Alfredo Angulo. Beating all of those fighters would be a good start for Alvarez in trying to prove he’s better than Chavez Sr. Unfortunately, I don’t see Alvarez facing any of those guys anytime soon, especially not Trout because he actually can probably handle Alvarez and give him his first loss of his career.

I know Alvarez has a lot of ambition but I think he’s short on talent and Golden Boy is doing a good job of covering that up by matching him against welterweights.



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