I don’t think Canelo is an elite boxer (and yes, I have bytched about his No. 10 place in THE RING’s pound-for-pound rankings to Ratings Chair Chuck Giampa), but I don’t think he’s the total fraud that his Twitter haters claim he is. I believe he’s a legitimate top-five junior middleweight contender with the potential to be a legit middleweight contender.
I have no doubt that he’s got superstar potential. I learned that when close 12,000 fans paid to watch him fight Hatton in Anaheim, California. Those fans didn’t know who Ricky was, let alone Matthew. They were there to see the 20-year-old Mexican idol. Like you, I was not impressed with his performance against Hatton. Neither was Canelo, which is why he reported to Big Bear, California, where he trained alongside Golovkin and sparred with the then-unknown GGG to prepare for his next fight – against Rhodes.
I was impressed with Canelo’s performance against the switch-hitting British contender, a veteran of 49 bouts who had won 10 in a row and had looked sharp vs. Jamie Moore and Luca Messi in European title bouts going into their WBC 154-pound title bout.
I thought he won a clear decision over Trout, though it was a lot closer than Stanley Christodoulou’s doo-doo card. I thought he edged Lara in a close fight that could have gone either way by one or two points. The only thing controversial about that fight was Levi Martinez’s 117-111 card. However, I think members of Twitter Nation who had 116-112 and 117-111 tallies for Lara are just as delusional as the New Mexico judge.
I think Canelo just froze up against Mayweather (and having to sweat down to 152 pounds didn’t help). It happens sometimes when young boxers fight on the big stage for the first time. Hell, a not-so-young Mayweather froze up against De La Hoya in his first mega-event. I thought Mayweather won the bout clearly, but he didn’t perform to his ability in my opinion, and a lot of ringsiders thought the fight could have legitimately been a draw or even 115-113 for the past-his-prime Golden Boy.
However, here’s something I want to point out to you and all of Canelo’s “haters” (an ever growing legion that threatens to outnumber The Money Team wannabes in a few years). Despite Canelo’s supposed limitations and stamina issues, Mayweather boxed a very respectful and careful fight for 12 rounds and never tried to press the young buck over the second half of the bout to try for the late-rounds stoppage that “geniuses” like Leonard Ellerbe and about 10,000 Floydettes predicted.
Trout told me at the final presser for the Canelo fight that he was going to take it to the Mexican and knock him out. Lara’s co-trainer and co-manager swore to me that the Cuban was in the best condition (mentally and physically) of his career in the final days leading to his showdown with Canelo. They were supremely confident that Lara was going to knock the redhead the f__k out come fight night.
But what happened when Trout and Lara stepped into the ring with Canelo? Both southpaws boxed cautiously off the back foot. Neither man went for the kill. Trout is a big, tough technically sharp junior middleweight that I’ve witnessed take it to Sergio Martinez and Antonio Margarito in crazy sparring sessions. Lara, an amateur world champ with good punching power and superlative ring generalship, had no fear when fighting Paul Williams, Angulo and Trout. But he moved his legs a lot more than his hands when he got in the ring with Canelo.
What does that tell you? It tells me that Canelo’s got to present some kind of threat in order to get the amount of respect that top boxers have given him. Maybe it’s his physical strength, his punch power or accuracy; I don’t know, but I know it’s got to do with more than his red hair and freckles. I don’t think these badasses suffer from “ginger-phobia.” I think once they stepped in the ring with him they recognized that Alvarez has got better speed, skill and ring command than outside observers recognize or give him credit for.
I don’t care to see an Alvarez-Andrade fight, but I don’t think Canelo needs to fear the U.S. Olympian and amateur world champ. Yes, Andrade is a tall, rangy southpaw with a lot of talent and skill, but he’s also a slapper who tends to lose focus during his fights. And I’m not sure how well the New Englander takes a shot.
This is just one man’s opinion but I think Andrade would try to slap-and-move his way to a decision in a generally uneventful bout that goes to Canelo by close, maybe majority or split nod. Alvarez will stake out the center of the ring and land most of the hard punches – but not man y. He’ll win on at least two of the official scorecards, press row will be split and Twitter Nation will have Andrade as the clear winner.
I’ve already witnessed this sad scenario with the Trout and Lara fights. I don’t need to see it again. So, yes, bring on Cotto and Kirkland and Chavez Jr. (if the slob can get his weight down under 168 pounds). Let’s see Canelo in against fellow “limited,” aggressive fighters. Let’s see the redhead in some entertaining fights. He’s never going to win over his critics by fighting cautious ring generals. The “purists” are always going to judge him using the AIBA scoring system and unless he scores three or four knockdowns, they’re always going to think he was outboxed. So Canelo might as well appease his fans – and casual fans – by getting it on with well-known fighters who bring the ruckus.
http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/359357-dougies-friday-mailbag-178
, all you want....but at the end of the day, Canelo is still gonna be the Mexican Ric Flair, hopping out of limos with S & S, and the #CaneloCartel will be still be on top
