By Jeff Aranow: Jeff Mayweather is picking Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (49-1-1, 34 KOs) to beat IBF/IBO/WBA/WBC middleweight champion Gennady “GGG Golovkin (37-0, 33 KOs) in their big fight on September 16. Jeff says that Danny Jacobs created the blueprint in how to beat Golovkin in their fight last March, and all Canelo needs to do is follow that blueprint in order to be successful against him.
Jeff says that Canelo is much faster than Golovkin with better defensive skills, and boxing ability. Jeff thinks Canelo’s boxing ability will be enough to lead him to victory over the 35-year-old Golovkin.
There is some boxing who feel that the Mayweather’s don’t want to see Canelo beaten because it would cheapen Floyd Mayweather Jr’s accomplishment in his over Canelo from 2013. Mayweather beat the then 22-year-old Canelo by a 12 round majority decision. The fight took place at a catchweight of 152 pounds, however
“I have to lean towards Canelo,” said Jeff Mayweather said to esnewsreporting.com in picking Canelo to beat Golovkin. “I don’t care what other people like. I think Danny Jacobs kind of showed you want you need to do to beat him. I think that Canelo has a little better defense. He probably doesn’t move as well as Danny Jacobs, but still, I think he has enough movement to create problems for Triple G. He’s way faster than him. He can punch too,” said Mayweather.
To be honest, the only thing that Jacobs showed in the Golovkin fight was he could evade him for 8 rounds and give away the fight. It was a losing strategy that Jacobs used. It was the same thing Jacobs used in his fight with Dmitri Pirog. Jacobs got on his bike in the Pirog fight and was chased around the ring until Pirog knocked him out in the 5th. Jacobs didn’t stand his ground, which is why he lost to Pirog.
Instead of learning his lesson, Jacobs used the same approach when he fought Golovkin. The only different twist that made the Golovkin-Jacobs fight different was Golovkin didn’t go after Jacobs nearly as hard as Pirog did in the early going. I think if Golovkin had tried hard for a knockout of Jacobs, he would have done it, because his punch resistance was nowhere to be found. Jeff is making the mistake of idolizing Jacobs’ performance against Golovkin.
Jacobs did not do well. If he had, he would have won the fight. Jacobs gave up his chance to beat Golovkin by running from him, and he has a loss to show for it. In boxing, you can’t run. You have to fight. Jacobs didn’t, so he lost. It’s as simple as that. One would hope that Canelo doesn’t follow Jacobs’ blueprint for the Golovkin fight, because he’ll not only lose the fight, but he’ll look bad in doing so.
”Both can punch, but it’s a matter of whether Canelo can take it,” said Jeff Mayweather about Canelo and Golovkin’s power. ”One thing is this: ‘No one has ever seen Canelo get hit.’ He had to get hit. He’s been in with some great fighters as well; much better than Triple G. His resume is way more stronger. He’s only lost to one fighter and that’s Floyd [Mayweather Jr.]. He might not hurt him, but he can still win on points. You don’t have to win the fight by knockout. You can say whatever you want to. When you get inside the ring, you’re going to have to do what you have to do,” said Mayweather.
Canelo’s resume isn’t that much better than Golovkin’s. I think a lot of people go overboard when they talk of Canelo’s resume. Canelo’s didn’t fight a lot guys in their prime. He fought some big names when they were over the hill like Shane Mosley. Even in that fight, Canelo was SO MUCH heavier than the 40-year-old Mosley.
Here are the best 10 opponents have fought in his career:
1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. – He beat Canelo
2. Erislandy Lara – He lost to Canelo by a controversial decision
3. Miguel Cotto – Lost to Canelo by a close decision
4. Austin Trout – Fought Canelo to a standstill. Fight could have been a draw
5. Shane Mosley – Over 40-years-old when he fought Canelo
6. Liam Smith – Considered the weakest of the 154lb champions when he fought Canelo
7. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. – Weight drained and over-the-hill when he fought Canelo
8. Amir Khan – A welterweight past his prime when he fought Canelo
9. Kermit Cintron – No longer in his prime when he fought Canelo
10. Carlos Baldomir – No longer in his prime when he fought Canelo
Canelo hasn’t been in with a lot of great fighters like Jeff says he has. Canelo has been in with one great fighter in Floyd Mayweather Jr. Canelo has been in with a lot of old good fighters like Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Carlos Baldomir. Canelo has been in with Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara. Those aren’t great fighters, but Canelo arguably lost to Lara and almost lost to Trout.
Here are the 10 best fighters Golovkin has fought in his career:
1. Daniel Jacobs
2. David Lemieux
3. Martin Murray
4. Curtis Stevens
5. Willie Monroe Jr.
6. Marco Antonio Rubio
7. Gabriel Rosado
8. Kassim Ouma
9. Daniel Geale
10. Kell Brook
I honestly think Golovkin’s resume is WAY stronger than Canelo’s in terms of quality fighters when they in their prime, not when they were shot, old or badly outweighed like with Canelo. Look at Golovkin’s top 6 opponents on the list. Those guys are all difficult to beat fighters. These weak fighters with no power like Mayweather or old like Miguel Cotto. They were in their prime when Golovkin fought them. I think Jeff Mayweather is like a lot of people, who don’t have a clue who Golovkin has fought during his career.
If you put Golovkin’s past top 10 opponents next to Canelo’s, Golovkin has fought the better guys in terms of them being in their prime when he fought them at his weight. Canelo has fought a lot of fighters that were good at one time in their careers, but they were old and totally shot when he fought them. They were also badly outweighed by Canelo. Take a look at the size difference between Canelo and Cotto, Mosley, Cintron, Baldomir and Khan. Canelo was much bigger than those guys. The fights weren’t even fair. Canelo was also heavier than Mayweather. Canelo lost that fight badly.
”I think he’ll realize he has to box Triple G rather than [slug with him]. He did that a long time ago when he said, ‘I’m Mexican.’ He said, [expletive] that, take that belt.’ That doesn’t mean nothing. I think that it’s just the right time. He had Triple G waiting a very long time, and you see blueprint to give him the chance to beat him,” said Jeff Mayweather about Canelo beating Golovkin.
Canelo will definitely TRY to box Golovkin, but he won’t be able to do it for long because his game is centered on slugging it out with his opponent. Canelo is a slugger for the most part. Yeah, Canelo can occasionally box a little, but he mostly punches with his opponents. Asking Canelo to change his style entirely for the Golovkin fight is impossible to do. Canelo has good boxing skills, but he’s still a puncher. That’s what brought him to this point in his career. He can’t deviate away from that without losing to Golovkin and losing badly.
It’s like trying to change the stripes of a zebra. You’re not going to do it. Canelo is what he is. He’s a slugger, who has been matched carefully by Golden Boy throughout his career. Canelo’s resume is not great like Jeff Mayweather maintains it is. Canelo’s resume is actually pretty weak in terms of him being put in with competitive fights. Canelo never fought the Charlos. Canelo never fought Demetrius Andrade. Canelo never fought Daniel Jacobs. Canelo’s reputation is based on a myth.
