Canelo Alvarez vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr: Which is the best game plan?

By Boxing News - 08/05/2013 - Comments

alvarez346By Gerardo Granados: It’s quite difficult to believe that the WBC welterweight – WBA Super light middleweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. will change his fighting style or change the game plan that he usually applies. But, which could be the best game plan for the young WBC super welterweight – WBA light middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez against “Money”?

There is a long list of fighters who have tried and all have failed having many of them used a similar game plan and tactics. Does the reader remember how many of them were able to adjust during the fight?

Many of those fighters tried to apply constant pressure for the full round, but failed to connect solid punches and on the last third of the fight they looked tired and their punches weren’t as powerful as in the early rounds. Also, many of them aloud Floyd to set the tempo of the fight fighting at the range that fit the best to Mayweather Jr., and most of them became an easy target to be countered. From all of them I can’t remember a single one who was patient enough to wait for openings on Floyd´s tight defense.

Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, Robert Guerrero and others fought the fight that Floyd was expecting to have. In the Juan Manuel Marquez fight, the weight gap didn’t allow us to have a fair appreciation because Marquez was too slow to compete. It is important to take in account that Floyd is 35 years old already and we can’t expect him to be as athletic as he was in the past also the two pounds catch weight could end up helping Alvarez if he is able to make weight without too much sacrifice and let him be faster.

It will always be easier to prepare a strategy than to execute the game plan; but, you better prepare and adjust in case your game plan fails. To defeat Floyd you need to be not only boxing skilled or have power you must have ring smarts and patience. I believe that first of all you have to avoid trying to knock him out with a single punch. Second, you need good defense and timing to anticipate Floyd´s counter punching. Third, you have to be smart and mix your attack based on a solid jab using faints to draw him to get open. Fourth, be patient and control the tempo of the fight to avoid running out of gas. And last, avoid staying in front of him, moving your waist, in and out constantly moving around him.

It will be interesting to see which will be the game plan of Canelo but most important it will be to see if he can execute it with success. Floyd will fight as he always does, on the mid and long range, tight defense, cunning and smart taking advantage on the errors and countering with sharp accurate punches. It would be a big mistake for him to try to trade at close range against Canelo, because the young lion has enough power to hurt him and maybe knocking him out. Maybe we should be getting ready to watch a boxing lesson instead of a blood bath.

That is my game plan to engage Floyd, but what about the reader which would be your game plan for Canelo to defeat Mayweather Jr?



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