Mayweather-Canelo: Takeaways from “The One” Live Workouts

By Boxing News - 08/29/2013 - Comments

may5552By Eric Johnson: On September 14th Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez will meet up for the biggest fight of the year. Over the last few days Showtime has given fans a look into the fighter’s lives with All Access, and a personal view of Mayweather and Canelo’s respective workouts. The workouts were light, but seemed like modified versions of their usual routines.

The hype for this fight is increasing, and it feels like September 14th will never come. However it will, but in the meantime here are some takeaways from the ShoSports live workouts for those of you who haven’t seen.

1. Floyd Mayweather’s Elite Conditioning: At age 36, many people are wondering if a day will come when Mayweather gets old overnight. Most fighters who age well aren’t fighters who rely on speed and reflexes. Many people are counting on that happening sooner rather than later. As of now, it looks as if it’ll be a lot later. Floyd Mayweather looked in peak form as he motioned from workout to workout. He did about 15 minutes of his usual complicated pad-work with Roger Mayweather, followed by 15 minutes on the heavy bag, followed by a jump rope routine. Wrapping things up with a solid ab workout, with just about no breaks in between drills. His conditioning is an absolute gift. One that may come into play on September 14th.

2. Canelo’s Not So Elite Conditioning: For a while now, many scouters have been very critical about Alvarez’ conditioning. Stating that he tires out between rounds, and going up against a fighter who controls pace as well Mayweather does, that can be a problem. This appears to be true. As I watched Canelo’s live workout I noticed that he does appear to tire out after even the slightest acceleration. During his heavy-bag workout he didn’t seem capable of going for long periods of time. Opting to punch in spurts instead, and often looked a bit gassed in the process.

3. Floyd Mayweather’s Improved Power: As I watched Mayweather on the heavy-bag, his punches seemed to have more pop to them. He wasn’t firing his usual light workout punches. A lot of the punches sounded vicious and thunderous. He fired combinations to the bag that seemed more powerful than is usual punches. Speed does often go with age, but power ages well. This may be the case with Mayweather, as he appears to get stronger in his advanced age.

4. Canelo’s Elite Power: Canelo may not have Mayweather’s conditioning, but for what he lacks in stamina, he more than makes up for in power. Although Mayweather and Canelo’s punches sounded similar, Canelo was punching a 300 lb. bag, and Mayweather was firing at a 140 lb. bag. Canelo’s “boxer-puncher” tag fits him perfectly, as he appears to pack a powerful punch that is capable of putting most fighters on their backs. While I wasn’t impressed with his conditioning, I was thrilled about the power he seems to contain.

5. The Size Difference: During an interview with ShoSports, Floyd Mayweather said he came into camp weighing about 149 pounds. At the 30 day weigh in for the fight, Canelo weighed in at 166.8 pounds. Watching both workouts the size difference is obvious. Canelo is now and will be the bigger man after he rehydrates after the weigh in. Everything from his arms, to his calves, to his torso, dwarf Mayweather’s in comparison. Whether or not this will have an effect on the fight remains to be seen, but the size difference was very apparent in the workout footage.

6. Surprising speed: It’s no secret that Canelo has speed, but going into this fight it has been widely speculated that he will go into his fight against Mayweather the far slower of the two. I’m not sure about that. While the footage shows that Mayweather is obviously faster, it isn’t by as much as previously thought. They both displayed great speed, but Canelo’s didn’t seem that far off par with Floyd’s. It’s a known fact that when your stamina goes, so does your speed. I expect him to keep up with Floyd’s hand speed as long as his stamina doesn’t decline too much throughout the fight.

7. Combination Punching: At this stage of Floyd’s career, he only throws combinations when it is absolutely necessary. Canelo uses combinations far more than Mayweather does at the present time. However, on the heavy bag Mayweather’s combinations appeared rather crisp. He effortlessly fired three and four punch combinations with no problems, and showcasing fluidity that most young men display. Canelo is an elite combination puncher in his own right. He repeatedly blasted his bag with combinations fueled with bad intentions. Who will be more successful at landing these combos is unknown at this time, but both fighters are more than capable. This can make for a very casual fan friendly night, especially if Mayweather is as aggressive as he has been in his most recent fights.

8. Intent and Mutual Respect: Both fighters seem to be supremely confident leading up to the fight. Both focused and promising victory on the 14th. Floyd Mayweather told ShoSports that he was disappointed that he didn’t get the Knockout in his last outing against Robert Guerrero and assured fans that he was going for it in this fight. Canelo told reporters that he’s figured Mayweather out and is confident that his game plan will lead him to victory. At the same time both fighters praised each other throughout the last few weeks. Floyd Mayweather repeatedly called Canelo “solid” , and “very good, and Canelo has said “in order to be the best, you have to beat the best” and that he’s expecting a tough, difficult fight.

There isn’t much else to be said about this event. The workouts further more displayed why this event is a must watch for boxing fans both casual and dedicated. Tune in September 14th on SHOWTIME PPV for “The One”. It’s sure to be a legacy enhancing bout for each fighter, win or lose.



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