(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Ken Woods: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will face Floyd “Money” Mayweather on September 14. Every boxer and analyst has tried to come up with a strategy to defeat Mayweather. Most strategies had something to do with smothering him, applying pressure, and throwing a lot of punches. This game plan has yet to work.
Alvarez will have to implement a different strategy if he wants to be successful. The following are the measures he needs to take to win, and even then, it will still be a difficult task.
Punch When He Punches
This is the most important element to be successful against Mayweather. Every fighter that has done this previously has had success. Zab Judah, Demarcus Corley, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley (the second big right hand of the second round), Jose Luis Castillo, and even Sharmba Mitchell have landed clean flush shots while “Money” was punching.
This may be Mayweather’s one weakness. It is important not to try to counter punch, because he throws a punch with the intention to dodge what’s coming back. You have to be able to throw exactly at the same time he does.
Make Him the Aggressor
Many people believe being aggressive will get “Money” out of his comfort zone. However, playing coy and making him the pursuer is more out of his element. Alvarez proved he could be effective doing this in the Austin Trout fight. He hit Trout with flush uppercuts on the way in and countered the jab with straight right hands. He will have to be quicker in this fight, but it is a very viable strategy.
The essential thing to remember while doing this is to have good head movement and not to stay stationary too long. Mayweather can pick you apart while being the aggressor if you don’t move.
Be Patient
This technique ties into the last method. This is the hardest thing for fighters to do while in the ring with Mayweather. Opponents just want to land something meaningful and they leave themselves open while doing this. One has to wait for opportunities and use the jab to set up other punches. Maintaining patience will be more of an adjustment for “Money” than any other thing you can throw at him.
Alvarez lost patience with Trout a few times in their battle, throwing hooks that didn’t land and wasting energy in the process. So this will be crucial and a bit unexpected if he has the discipline to pull it off.
Pace Yourself
It takes three times the energy to throw and miss than it does to throw and connect. With Mayweather, you know you are going to swing and miss, so it is vital that Alvarez paces himself. He already has stamina issues, so he cannot afford to swing and miss a lot. Although “Canelo” is a great combination puncher, he has to limit that and have something in the tank for the last third of the fight. Rounds 8 through 12 are where Mayweather usually pulls away and other fighters get tired.
Alvarez will have his hands full, but if he follows these methods, he will have success. Instead of pressure, one has to essentially out-Mayweather, Mayweather to win.
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