By John F. McKenna (McJack): World Boxing Council (WBC) Light Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (36-0-1, 26 KO’s) faces British junior middleweight Ryan Rhodes (45-4, 31 KO’s) this Saturday night in Guadalajara, Mexico where the fight will be broadcast on HBO.
Alvarez is excited about fighting before his people in Guadalajara because he says his fans have been huge supporters since day one. It is understandable that “Canelo” is popular in Mexico, but his popularity is off the charts. According to Golden Boy Promotions when one of Alvarez’s fights appears on television the ratings exceed even that of Soccer, which is wildly popular in Mexico. So the question is why is Saul so popular in his home country of Mexico? Part of “Canelo’s” popularity is his looks. His pale skin and red hair drive his fans crazy. But he fights like a Mexican and he has a great work ethic. Alvarez wants above all else to please his fans. It is a love affair which goes both ways, his fans love him and Saul loves his fans. He is aware that what he has accomplished in his young life he owes to his staunch supporters and he does not want to let them down.
Alvarez recently returned from a stint at Big Bear, CA to work on all facets of his boxing technique and in particular his conditioning. In his fight with Matthew Hatton in March, Saul faded in the later rounds and his defense suffered. He was open for counters and combinations. If his opponent had been anyone but Hatton he would have been in trouble. It took several days for Alvarez to adapt to the altitude at Big Bear, but once he adapted things went smoothly. He was able to spar with sparring partners at the championship level and his brain trust think that the benefits of Saul training at Big Bear were huge in his development as a fighter.
Ryan Rhodes is a step up in class. Rhodes is a big, strong, hard punching, switch hitting middleweight who is coming down to junior middleweight. At 34 years old he has seen it all and done it all. He has had his up and downs and wants to make the most of this opportunity. Rhodes is fully aware that this may be his last hurrah. Rhodes has been training in Mexico for the last three weeks and is planning to peak at fight time.
Alvarez said that Rhodes is going to be a very tough test for him. He also said that whoever is the most prepared will win and that relying on his undefeated record will not get the job done for him. With that in mind Alvarez has been training harder for this fight than he has for any previous match.
Comments are closed.