Aged Cinnamon

By Nick Moore - 07/03/2013 - Comments

Canelo Alvarez(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Showtime) By Nick Moore: If you know anything about the process of making cinnamon, doing so is in fact a process. Producers of this spice have to chop, scrape, loosen, rub, split, & peel part of a tree in order to have the finished product. In other words, this simple product that we add to enhance our meals has been through quite an enhancing & shaping process, if you will.

Critics of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez have often made the point that they do not believe he is ready or experienced enough to get in the ring with Floyd Mayweather. Just talking to my neighbor the other day, he said that he thinks Canelo is still a little green going into this challenge. According to Richard Langford, featured columnist for Bleacher Report, “Canelo is still a developing fighter. While he has an accomplished record, he is just 22 and still learning to be more than just a puncher. Mayweather will take advantage of this at will.” Allow me to counter.

I find this argument laughable, simply based on the facts. Mayweather sits at 44-0, while Alvarez is at 42-0-1, the lone draw coming very early in his professional career in a 4 round bout. So, Canelo is not experienced? Last time I checked, 42+1=43. When you are talking about numbers of professional boxers match ups, this equates to the same level of experience. Adding to this, since the beginning of 2009 Floyd Mayweather has fought 5 bouts in comparison to 19 for Alvarez. Again I ask, inexperienced?

Say what you want about Alvarez’s age, but age and experience are two different things. Age does not guarantee experience in pugilism and it is incredulous that many are making that point. We might also ask what value our experience is unless we mature with it? In a report from Yahoo! during “The One,” promotional stop in Mexico City, reports Alvarez as saying, “I was 19 when they first offered me this fight. As a fighter, I wanted it, but my team knew I wasn’t ready. But now is the moment. We’re confident that we’re going to win. Obviously the fight won’t be easy, but it’s a question of good preparation and good strategy in order to win.”

Sound like an inexperienced, immature fighter to you? The more I read through the notion, or lack thereof, that Saul Alvarez is inexperienced, the more confident I become about his approach and readiness for September 14th. Ladies and gentleman, the Cinnamon is ready for harvest.



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