The Mexican Style of Boxing: Canelo Alvarez

By Boxing News - 03/21/2013 - Comments

Web-P3142506By Hector Gonzalez: To discredit Mexican Boxers or their style of fighting is like chopping off a whole part of a body. Boxing’s rich history has depended on Mexican fighters for over 100 years, in that time providing a rich and aesthetically pleasing style of fighting. Most Mexican boxers are described as boxer-punchers, some of them are extremely technical while some unorthodox.

While the many styles that come from Mexico vary there is one thing that stand out in Mexican fighting, it tents to be a very proud style of fighting often leading to dramatic fights.

It’s been interesting reading some of the build up to Alvarez vs. Trout. I see many fans commenting on Alvarez’s style making references to Alvarez’s Mexican style of fighting, calling him a ‘brawler’, and how a technician like Trout will dismantle the Mexican body puncher. All that I could say is these fans don’t know what they’re talking about. What these fans don’t understand is that Alvarez is also a technician, just in a different way.

Most American boxers have an athletic finesse to their style and although admirable for the virtue of athleticism, when it comes to an actual ‘fighting match’ the fights could be rather boring with very little drama and action. The main difference is that Mexican fighters tent to take risks in the ring that American fighters are not willing to take. For instance, an American fighter will completely move his head, shoulder, and waist to avoid a punch while a Mexican fighter will take a step back to avoid the punch or roll the head with the punch cushioning the punch. The American fighter might appear to have the better defense by virtue of getting hit less, but that’s not the point— The point is that while the Mexican fighter is getting tagged from time to time, the American fighter is using all his energy constantly moving his body avoiding punches and wasting energy. The American fighter will use speed while the Mexican fighter will use timing.

In most fights where a Mexican fighter defeats his opponent, the fights tent to look like this: The Mexican fighter typically will start of slow getting tagged for the first couple of rounds, his opponent will look flashy getting hit mostly only by body shots. Eventually, the Mexican fighter has figured out his opponents timing, getting closer in range and continuing to work the body. By the 7th or 8th round his opponent has significantly slowed down getting caught more frequently with power shots.

I think that the biggest misconception is that Mexican fighters fight with a ‘brawler’ style. Again, most Mexican fighters are considered boxer-punchers and even then the only true statement that could be said about boxing fighters is that they can take a punch well and fight with great determination.

For example, second to Mayweather it is common knowledge that the best technical fighter of this era is Juan Manuel Marquez, perhaps the most unorthodox fighters at least in my opinion are Miguel Vasquez and Carlos Molina both Mexican fighters.

The styles are too many to name, while many fans refer to Pernell Whitaker as the best defensive fighter in the history of the sport, many fans have never heard of the Mexican Miguel Canto who fought during the 1970’s, and while most fans are aware of the great Sugar Ray Leonard few fans know about Salvador Sanchez.

And of course the greatest of them all, regarded as the best chin in boxing history, and the best boxing record in the last 100 years, the one and only Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. The last of the greats with record of 107 wins, 6 losses, and 86 KO’s. In a Mike Tyson interview that I saw not too long ago, Mike Tyson described Chavez vs Taylor as “watching a sculpturer chisel out his masterpiece.” Chavez Sr. embodied boxing in it’s truest form, and the most common word to describe Chavez Sr. style, often used to described him by boxing aficionados, is ‘methodical’.

I believe that Canelo Alvarez is on his way to joining the list of all time Mexican greats.

Trout will look flashy for the first couple of rounds, Alvarez will land body punches, Trout will slow down and the same story will play out itself as it has in the past.



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