Saul Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) was a force of nature inside the ring against Josesito Lopez (30-5, 18 KOs) on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The 22-year-old star became a superstar this weekend after taking out Lopez, who defeated Victor Ortiz last June, via a fifth-round TKO at the MGM Grand on the weekend of the Mexican Independence Day.
With the victory Alvarez retains his WBC light middleweight title and elevates himself among boxing's elite.
Bring on Pretty Boy?
Alvarez, who goes by the nickname "Canelo," meaning cinnamon because of his red hair, has had a remarkable career thus far.
He made his professional debut seven years ago at age 15, and has yet to lose a bout.
Now, after his defeat of Shane Mosley last May and his TKO of Lopez this fall, Canelo is ready to take on the likes of Sergio Martinez, who defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Vegas on Saturday night, Miguel Cotto and dare I say, Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I'm not alone in my quest to set up a Canelo-Money matchup, however.
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, believes that Alvarez has proved he is ready to take on the sport's elite (via ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto):
We would certainly be open to making a fight with Floyd and I think that's at the top of Canelo's wish list as well. Other names do include Miguel Cotto and the man that beat Cesar Chavez Jr. tonight, Sergio Martinez. What we really think, first and foremost, is that [Alvarez] is ready. You see the tremendous improvement. He really is ready and we're not afraid to put him in front of any of those names.
Although some would argue that Alvarez is far too young and untested to hop inside the ring with Mayweather, is there any other way to find out how good Canelo really is?
The only way to gain experience against boxing's elite fighters is to take them on. Sure, a loss at this stage in Alvarez's career could be devastating to his confidence in the long run. But a win would have a similarly massive impact on his psyche, only positive.
No one would disagree that Alvarez looked phenomenal against Lopez on Saturday night. And with 41 wins and zero losses to his name now, the future must hold a matchup with Mayweather.
Maybe not a few months from now or even next year, but until Alvarez is exposed or crowned the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, he will have to legitimize himself with a win over Mayweather.
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