By Dan Ambrose: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3-1, 32 KOs) in an incredibly poor fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The final scores were 120-108, 120-108 and 120-108. Boxing News 24 scored it 120-108 in favor of Canelo. After the fight, middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin came into the ring, and they announced that he’ll be fighting Canelo in September.
Golovkin was trying to be gracious and said, “Good luck in September.” Canelo responded with the ugly response, “Luck is for the mediocre.” Golovkin towered over Canelo when they were standing next to each other, and he didn’t looked weight drained like Chavez Jr. did tonight. What a terrible fight the Canelo-Chavez Jr. fight was. It was just awful. For Golden Boy Promotions, the promoters for Canelo, it was the third weight drained fighter that they had matched up against him since 2014. For the boxing fans that remember, Canelo also fought the weight drained James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo. Like Chavez Jr., both fighters were guys from the past that were once good fighters many years ago, but were no longer relevant in this day and age when they were matched against Canelo.
Canelo hit Chavez Jr. at will in every round of the fight. There was NOTHING at all coming back from Chavez Jr. It was so one-sided that Canelo seemed to feel sorry for Chavez Jr. in rounds 6 and 9, as he we back to the ropes and covered up to try and get Chavez Jr. to attack him. However, Chavez Jr. was so weak that he was unable to attack Canelo. The process of getting down to 164.5 lbs. for the catchweight drained Chavez Jr. to the point where he had nothing.
It was brilliant idea by Golden Boy to make Chavez Jr. drain down to the catchweight, because it ruined any chances that he had to win the fight and it guaranteed that their cash cow Canelo would win. It wasn’t sporting, but it still brilliant for Golden Bloy to make sure Chavez Jr. was weak enough for Canelo to easily beast him. I don’t think it was good for boxing, as the fans were hopping mad at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. I can’t remember hearing so much booing before from fans so early in the fight. The fans literally booed the lack of action from round 3 until the final bell. After the fight, the boxing fans stuck around long enough to boo Chavez Jr. when he was being interviewed. The ones that they should have been booing was Golden Boy and Canelo for making Canelo agree to the catchweight of 164.5 in order for him to get the fight.
“He beat me. He was a very active fighter,” said Chavez Jr. after the fight about Canelo. “He was a very good fighter. I wanted to box, but then he went to the ropes. I wanted to throw more punches, but I would have been countered if I threw the punches. I needed more distance and more speed. I didn’t feel my power. I didn’t throw all the punches I wanted to. He’s very powerful.”
What Chavez Jr. didn’t say is he was weight drained. He should have admitted that he took too much weight off in getting down to the catchweight. Chavez Jr. hadn’t looked this thin since he was in early 20s. He looked totally emaciated and in no condition to fight tonight. It was such a horrible fight.
I think the Canelo-Chavez Jr. fight gave boxing another black eye along the same lines as the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. Fans complained about that fight, but there at least was two-way action in the Mayweather-Pacquiao contest. Tonight, there was not two-way action. It was one guy using another guy as a punching bag for 12 rounds. It was not entertaining for the boxing fans it was disturbring to watch. It was like watching someone nervous giving a speech and falling apart because of their nerve. It was really hard to watch.
Canelo blamed it on Chavez Jr. instead of blaming it on himself and his promoters for selecting a past his best fighter like Chavez Jr. and then making him melt down to a weight that he hadn’t been at in over 5 years. Chavez Jr. can’t even make 168, and for this fight he had to drain down to 164. It wasn’t even fair. The boxing fans got a poor deal with this match-up, and I put the blame on Golden Boy and Canelo for making it. Canelo needs to fight better opposition than this, and he needs to stop with the catchweight fights already. This was Canelo’s fourth year of him fighting catchweights. He’s been doing it steadily since 2013.
“I showed that I can move and box against a fighter that is stronger than I,” said Canelo after the fight. ”I thought I could reel him in to the ropes to get him to throw punches, but he wouldn’t do it to show the fans and give them a good fight.”
Canelo won 12 rounds 0. It’s easy to understand why Chavez Jr. failed to throw punches tonight. He looked BADLY weight drained from having to melt down to Golden Boy Promotions’ required 164 ½ pound catchweight for the fight. Canelo didn’t want to move up to the full weight of 168 pounds for the fight, which was sad because Chavez Jr. has done nothing in his career in the last 4 years since his loss to Sergio Martinez. Chavez Jr. hasn’t been able to make the 168 lb. weight class, and Golden Boy put in the contract that the fight would take place at 164.5. That’s where the fight was lost for Chavez Jr. He can’t make 168, let alone 164.5. Chavez Jr. is now a light heavyweight at this point in his career, so he was never going to have any power at 64.5 for this fight. Chavez Jr. was emaciated looking at Friday’s weigh-in. He didn’t look he gained back much weight at all for this fight.
Middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin came inside the ring after the fight to announce that he and Canelo will be fighting in September.
Here’s what Canelo said:
”Triple G, you are next, my friend,” said Canelo after the fight. ”Yes sir, it’s done,” said Canelo to HBO commentator Max Kellerman.
Golovkin smiled at Canelo while he talked and listened to the occasional boos that were directed his way by Canelo’s fans.
”I feel very excited,” said Golovkin about the Canelo fight. ”Right now, it’s a different story. I think it’s Mexican style, a new drama show. Tonight, congrats to Canelo.”
Unlike tonight’s HORRIBLE fight, Canelo will be getting hit back by Golovkin in September, and it’s going to be hard on him. I think Canelo is going to get knocked out unless he looks better than he was tonight.
”I never fear anyone,” said Canelo about him never being afraid of Golovkin in the past. “When I was born, fear wasn’t given. I never got my share of fear.”
The boxing fans at ringside were booing the lone-sided action from round 3. The boos continued all throughout the fight, as Chavez Jr. never did anything to make a fight of it. Chavez Jr. threw very few punches in the fight.
I hate to say it but tonight’s fight makes Golden Boy Promotions and Canelo look REALLY bad with the way they selected an over-the-hill Chavez Jr. for Canelo to fight instead of a good fighter from the 168lb division. Chavez Jr. is no longer a good fighter at this point in his career. He’s over-the-hill, and he has no business fighting at 164. That was crazy. If Canelo and Golden Boy wanted a super middleweight, then they should have taken on James DeGale, the IBF 168lb champion. He would have given Canelo a real test in this fight.
