Floyd "Money" Mayweather is easily one of the best athletes in the world. He's become one of boxing's biggest stars and, boasting a perfect record of 44-0, has proved that he can't be bested in the ring.
That could all change on September 14.
On September 14 Mayweather will head to the ring at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to do battle with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez as they aim to unify their junior middleweight titles. Alvarez will not only give Money a good fight, but he'll give him one of the toughest challenges of his career.
Alvarez, like Mayweather, is undefeated with a record of 42-0-1, with a draw coming against Jorge Juarez in just the fifth fight of his career all the way back in 2006. Since then, Alvarez has been unstoppable. 31 of Alvarez's 43 wins have come by way of knockout.
That's five more than Mayweather's 26 knockouts in his 44 fights.
Alvarez brings a ton of power into his meeting with Mayweather, but he also brings something else that Mayweather hasn't seen in an opponent since his 2007 battle with Ricky Hatton; an undefeated record. Mayweather has been fighting some of boxing's best, but he's fighting guys who have already been broken. Alvarez has not.
Another thing going against Mayweather in this one is Alvarez's latest fight. This will be Alvarez's second consecutive fight against an undefeated opponent. Back in April Alvarez took down the previously undefeated Austin Trout by unanimous decision to stay undefeated and retain his WBC Light Middleweight Championship.
While it may seem like the odds are stacked against Mayweather, let's not forget one thing he has that Alvarez doesn't; his name. He's Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Even Mike Tyson, the "Baddest Man on the Planet" sees it:
Money is just that—money. He's one of the best boxers in the history of the sport and he simply can't be touched. While Alvarez has been keeping pace by winning all of his fights, he hasn't been fighting the competition that Mayweather has matched up with. Money's last five victories came against some impressive opponents, including: Robert Guerrero, Miguel Cotto, Victor Ortiz, Shane Mosley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Mayweather will also have home-field advantage of sorts, fighting his eighth consecutive fight in the friendly confines of the MGM Grand in Vegas.
Alvarez is a great competitor, but even fighting at the top of his game just might not be enough to topple Mayweather, but one thing is for sure: This is going to be one heck of a fight. According to Boxing expert Dan Rafael at ESPN.com, this fight is already breaking records, setting the all-time live gate record for boxing, selling out just 24 hours after tickets went on sale.
Mayweather is one of the best to ever do battle in the squared circle, and while there might not be a man on the planet who can take him down, Canelo Alvarez certainly has the best shot at it. He's coming off of a huge victory against an unbeaten opponent and has nothing to lose going into the September 14 meeting with Money.
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