Saul Alvarez is the embodiment of boxing mentality

By Boxing News - 03/30/2013 - Comments

canelo22By Mark Havey: People have been quick to denounce the credibility of WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s place in the top echelon of boxing. Some fans have rightly stated that many of his opponents had no right being in the ring with him, or no right being in a ring at all. I can’t deny this, no one can. But the man affectionately known as Canelo by his native Mexico can only beat what’s in front of him.

In 42 fight Saul Alvarez is unbeaten. It’s important to remember that he turned professional at such a young age. He was only 15 years old. He was a athlete in the hardest sport in the world whilst still being a child. So he can be forgiven for fighting journey men a little longer than most.

People like to mention him fighting a old Shane Mosley. But just one year before, Shane Mosley was sharing a ring with Manny Pacquiao. just 2 years before he was sharing a ring with Floyd Mayweather. In fact he had Mayweather in serious trouble early on and nearly dropped the p4p superstar. When trying to push a fight with top champions, the common practice is to target their past opponents and beat them in a more impressive fashion. So Shane Mosley was past his best. But if that is good enough for Mayweather and Pacquiao, why would Canelo say no?

Whatever you have to say about Alvarez, he has the perfect mentality. When so many champions are avoiding each other, its boxers like Canelo that keep the sport alive. Financially it would have made sense for Miguel Cotto to be picked as his next opponent. Cotto has a huge fan base and is 3rd in the list of the PPV kings. Instead Canelo picked Austin Trout, the man who broke Cotto. Financially it isn’t the best move. Trout has a very limited fan base. the fight doesn’t come with much of a reward. But it’s a huge risk. Taking on the most dangerous fight available is a testament to the courage and confidence the talented Mexican possesses.

What Canelo did with the Mayweather situation was extraordinary. His next fight against Trout was scheduled to be on the undercard of Mayweather vs Guerrero. He decided that he would only go through with that date if Mayweather stuck to his word and signed a contract to face him late this year. Mayweather didn’t stick to his word (there is no evidence to suggest Mayweather was ever willing to do this) so Alvarez rebelled. He changed the date of his fight. Fighting on a Mayweather undercard would have gained him huge exposure. But he doesn’t want exposure, he wants greatness. Fighting Trout and issuing a serious challenge to Mayweather makes me think that the sport would really benefit from more Canelo’s.



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