With his victory over Robert Guerrero in the record books for just seconds, the attention of the boxing world immediately turned to who would get the next chance to become the first to defeat the man known as Floyd "Money" Mayweather.
And now we know. Mayweather, the sport's undisputed pound-for-pound king, will take on perhaps the toughest challenge of his career on Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
He will likely silence many of his critics in the process.
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, the unified WBA and WBC junior middleweight champion, has emerged as one of boxing's rising stars and has a huge fan following from his native Mexico. Like Mayweather, he is undefeated, and at just 22 years old, he's viewed by many as the most challenging opponent of Floyd's illustrious career.
The threat level is clear, and this one is likely to satisfy even Mayweather's most ardent critics, of which there are many. Common arguments, including that he has carefully managed his career to avoid risky fights and fighters, will fall apart this time.
This is, without a doubt, a risky fight. Whether it will silence the critics or not remains a different story, but it should.
And the critics were already lining up to beat their drums. When Mayweather and Alvarez engaged in a war of words through their camps this past week over what weight class would be appropriate for their bout, the naysayers immediately began their familiar refrain—Mayweather is ducking again.
Devon Alexander, Amir Khan and recent entrant to the Mayweather sweepstakes Lucas Matthysse were all mentioned as possible opponents. All would've provided unique challenges, but there would be virtually nobody lining up to say that any of those guys had the stuff to take Floyd's zero.
It would've been just another carefully managed risk, in a career full of them, that would add to the growing school of thought that seeks to diminish "Money" Mayweather's accomplishments in the ring.
In a 17-year career, Mayweather is no stranger to big fights or big fighters. He's already bested Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, but it's been a very long time since he's stepped in with a fighter possessing Canelo's physical advantages.
This is true, even thought the fight will reportedly take place at a catchweight of 152 pounds. That could potentially reduce, but by no means eliminate, the threat caused by facing such a big opponent.
Mayweather has only fought twice above welterweight. Both of those fights came against aging fighters who themselves weren't natural junior middleweights, and each time he came into the ring several pounds below the weight limit.
He's a welterweight, not a junior middleweight, and he will be stepping in there with a fighter that will enter the ring somewhere near the 170-pound range.
That's a huge advantage, especially given that Floyd needs to pack on pounds to compete at welterweight, one division below Alvarez, and unlike most fighters he rarely puts on weight between the weigh-in and the fight.
It's his toughest bout, at least on paper, since he faced off with Diego Corrales in 2001. Before that bout many believed that the tall, rangy Corrales would be too physically imposing for the smaller but quicker Mayweather.
To this date, most rank that victory amongst the greatest of Floyd's career and one of the bigger big fight mismatches in boxing history.
But the size disadvantages may not even be the worst of the challenges Mayweather will face in this fight.
At 22, Alvarez is just entering his physical peak as a fighter. Continuing in a long line of Mexican warriors, he likes to attack to the body with ferocity and has the type of power that can end a night if he connects cleanly.
In his most recent outing, Alvarez also took a fight meant to silence his critics.
In facing Austin Trout, he hoped to show that he was the goods and could defeat a slick-boxing natural junior middleweight for the first time in his career.
That's not to say that Trout is on par with Mayweather—he isn't—but Canelo showed that he could solve a tricky, defensive style and make his power the difference in the fight. He dropped Trout in the seventh round, the first time he was down in his pro career, and won a wide unanimous decision.
At 36 years old, Mayweather showed no signs of ring rust or slippage in easily dispatching Robert Guerrero on May 4th in Las Vegas. But Guerrero is no Alvarez. He doesn't posses close to his size or punching power.
By the time he walks through the ropes at the MGM Grand in September, Floyd will be closer to 37 than he is to 36, and while it seems like this comes up all the time, there is the risk that he will lose a couple of miles off his fastball.
He didn't against Guerrero, but even if he had, he's still have had enough zip to dispatch of his opponent with relative ease. The risk of slippage when it comes to facing Alvarez is far greater.
Being a half-step slower against Guerrero may have meant a few extra punches get through. Against Canelo, it could mean the end of the night.
Multiple world titles in multiple weight classes, 44 victories against no defeats and a Hall of Fame resume have all easily made Floyd Mayweather the best fighter of his era. And that's no small accomplishment.
But the all-timers, the true greats of the sport, have all had their defining moment. The time where they pushed themselves and faced a challenge that many felt was too great to overcome.
Some passed, some failed, but all were given credit for daring to be great. For seeking out that career-defining moment. That moment that many feel, rightly or wrongly depending on your perspective, that his career has lacked to this point.
Whether you love or hate Floyd Mayweather, this is a risky fight. And win, lose or draw, he deserves credit for taking it.
This is his dare-to-be-great moment, and even his most vocal critics need to acknowledge that fact and give him his due.
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