By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) has reportedly signed a multi-year contract extension with Golden Boy Promotions. It’s unclear whether it’s the best deal for the 25-year-old Canelo, because he probably would have fetched a big price if he’d been willing to put himself on the market so that the other promotional companies like Roc Nation Sports, Top Rank, and K2 could have bid for his services.
Canelo has already been with Golden Boy for years now, and has had one big fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. during all that time.
Canelo is about to face WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in a fight on November 21st that will see Canelo receive a payday of somewhere along the lines of $10 million compared to Cotto’s $30 million.
“I am loyal, it’s part of my character and that’s why I am extending my contract with Golden Boy Promotions,”said Álvarez in a press release. “Golden Boy Promotions knows how to build a fighter and elevate him to a world stage as they have done with me and continue to do with many others. I look forward to working with Golden Boy throughout my career.”
You can make an argument that Golden Boy has been careful with Canelo, especially if they choose not to match him against IBO/WBA middleweight champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin should Canelo get past Cotto.
Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya thinks that Canelo is poised to become the top PPV star in the sport once Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao both retire. De La Hoya thinks Canelo will be the top PPV attraction for the next 10 years.
I don’t know if that’s going to be a reality or not, but it could be if De La Hoya matches Canelo carefully. He’s obviously going to need to keep him away from Golovkin, Mayweather, Demetrius Andrade and Erislandy Lara.
I think Canelo would take some more losses if he gets put in with those guys. I had Lara beating Canelo in their fight last year, so I don’t think it would be good for De La Hoya and Golden Boy if Canelo fought Lara a second time.
Canelo has been fighting as a pro for the past 10 years after starting his career at age 15. He’s got controversial wins over Austin Trout and Lara. Canelo is coming off of a win over James Kirkland from last May in a fight that was a mismatch the moment the contract was signed.
“Canelo Álvarez is no longer the future of the boxing – he is the present, and with a win on Nov. 21 against Miguel Cotto, he will solidify his status as the best in the business,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “It has been a privilege to promote him during his meteoric rise, and we now look forward to many more highlights in a career already filled with many of them.”
Most of Canelo’s wins have come against weaker opponents. He has wins over some past their prime fighters like Shane Mosley, Alfredo Angulo and Kermit Cintron.
Marquez, Chavez & Cortez pick Mayweather to defeat Berto
Former multiple world champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Julio Cesar Chavez both see Floyd Mayweather Jr. having no problems beating Andre Berto on Saturday night in their fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, former referee Joe Cortez also sees Mayweather beating Berto.
“Because Berto cannot keep up,” Chavez said via ESPN.com about why Mayweather will win.
“Mayweather will be dedicated to impose his boxing skills and to keep the distance from Berto and that will earn him a decision win,” Martinez said.
I think it’s pretty clear that Mayweather will stay on the outside and pick Berto off with shots all night long to win an easy 12 round decision. Berto doesn’t have the boxing skills to get close enough to Mayweather to win a decision or to get a knockout.
“Mayweather brings to much experience with great defense while Berto’s defense is not the greatest,” Cortez said to ESPN.com. “However, Andre can be dangerous if he catches Mayweather with a good solid punch because he has good punching power.”
Cortez is right about Berto’s defense not being the greatest. It’s going to be really difficult for Berto to keep from getting hit a lot in this fight because he’s so easy to hit. For him to win, he’s going to need to attack Mayweather, and when he does that, he’ll leave himself open to be countered all night long.
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