By Allan Fox: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) has very heavy hands, and really good boxing skills. He’s a definite talent and perhaps someday he could be a pound-for-pound number #1 fighter in the sport.
However, right now Alvarez has some serious flaws in his game that could be exposed to the light by his next opponent Josesito Lopez (30-4, 18 KO’s) on September 15th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Alvarez doesn’t move well, and he kind of looks heavy on his feet as he plods around the ring in his fights. Although he’s been the champion since last year in March when he defeated welterweight Matthew Hatton for the 154 pound WBC title, his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions has made sure to match Alvarez against weaker opposition rather than the real top guys.
Even in his last fight, Golden Boy matched Alvarez against 40-year-old over the hill Shane Mosley instead of a more dangerous and relevant opponent. Despite being pretty much completely shot, Mosley was able to frustrate Alvarez with movement and a high work rate. Alvarez tried his best to take Mosley out of there, but when it was clear that it wasn’t going to happen, Alvarez began to lose his cool and fight with frustration, making a ton of mistakes that Mosley was able to take advantage of. However, at the end of the day, Mosley was too far past it to beat Alvarez. Had Mosley been 10 years younger or more, he’d have likely schooled Alvarez.
If Lopez wants to win this fight against Alvarez, then he’s going to have to stay away from slugging with Alvarez and instead use movement to out-box him. That’s how you beat Alvarez. He’s not been beaten, but it’s clear that the way to get a decision over the red-haired Mexican fighter is by staying on the move, using your jab and throwing quick combinations when you’re going to let your hands go.
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