Photo by Eric Gray
It’s all over, after six years of waiting, it’s finally over.
Boxing hardcore and casual fans alike suffered through rumors and negotiations while waiting for the “Super Fight,” the “Fight of the Century,” Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao–and just like that’s it’s gone.
Now the fallout is extreme, paying customers are pissed because the fight was well, a Floyd Mayweather fight, Pacquiao has started “Shouldergate”, both men are being sued, and Skip Bayless managed to score the fight 115-113 for Pacquiao who was lucky to win four rounds on two of the judge’s scorecards.
So we move on, and just as someone out there is saying “Boxing is dead,” which it never will be, READ THIS, we look forward to the rest of the month of May which is packed with great action that includes two of the sports future superstars.
Specifically, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the good-looking, oddly red-headed Mexican boxing star who at just 24 years old has a 44-1-1, 31 KOs record, a resume with wins over Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout and Shane Mosley, and who has already been in the ring with the best in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
His boyish look and preppy hairstyle depict the next face of boxing, the next pay-per-view star, who along with his strong Mexican and Mexican-American following certainly ranks No. 1 for most likely to take over for Mayweather and Pacquiao after they retire.
And it all starts this weekend, Saturday May 9, 2015, when Canelo takes on the rugged and gritty American James Kirkland, who has spent as much or more time behind bars than in a boxing ring over the course of his career.
Some have even dubbed him the “Mini-Tyson” in the past for his look, fight style and persona. All-in-all, stylistically it makes for an exciting fight and story wise he’s a great opponent for Canelo, who’s been nothing but good and clean-cut over the course of his career.
Expect a war, nothing’s ever promised or definite in the sport of boxing, but in this fight you can expect war. Both men love to stand and trade, both are stocky and built, and both can punch with the best in their respected division.
Kirkland is notorious for being able to grind his opponent down with in-fighting, but that will play right into the hands of Canelo who loves nothing more than a hittable opponent coming straight for him.
See Canelo Alvarez vs. Alfredo Angulo
Canelo’s youth and talent will likely overcome Kirkland’s toughness, the American’s inactivity in recent years certainly is no way to enter a fight with one of the best out there.
And even though a win over Kirkland won’t put Canelo at the top of anybody’s pound-for-pound list, an exciting win will stand out and put him fresh back in the minds of the boxing viewers who were so disappointed just seven days before.
Because that’s what it is all about, entertainment, that’s what prizefighting means to the fans, and the fans are who decide who is truly great or not.
Unlike Mayweather, who built his career off the mirage of being “The Best Ever” and his undefeated record, Canelo has wiggle-room, he can lose and still sell tickets the following fight.
Simply because he shows up to entertain, he doesn’t duck, and always wants to fight the best no matter of the risk vs. reward factor.
Before his fight with Lara, Canelo’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya nearly pleaded with him not to take the fight, since Lara is an unknown fighter with a Cuban technical style.
Canelo took the fight and unfortunately had to chase Lara around the ring all night on the way to an uninspiring decision victory.
Now Canelo is on a new platform, HBO, which arguably provides boxing at its most respectable and purest form, where fighters stay true to the integrity of the sport and worry less about the ins-and-outs of a “boxing celebrity” lifestyle.
Canelo will fit right in amongst the other great HBO fighters such as Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev and Terence Crawford among others who provide some of the most thrilling fights every time they step in the ring.
A win for Canelo on Saturday not only puts him at the top of the sport during a time when the world wants nothing more than to forget about Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, but sets up his own potential “Super Fight.”
Not one for the casuals, but for the everyday fight fans, the ones who talk boxing on their lunch break and read about it before bed.
If Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin both win over the next two weekends, a fight between them will become the best fight that can be made in the sport, to decide the best Middleweight in the world, and to decide who is going to be boxing’s next top attraction.
Do you think Canelo Alvarez can be boxing’s next big superstar? Please feel free to discuss in our comment section provided below.
Header photo by Hogan Photos
