Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on September 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has the potential to set pay-per-view records, but that doesn't mean it is going to be a good fight. In fact, it's not going to be.
Money's elite defense and technical skill will reduce this to a one-sided bout.
On paper, this matchup has a lot going for it. Canelo is the biggest rising star in the sport, and he has the record to merit this standing. Alvarez has yet to suffer a defeat against his 42 wins and 30 knockouts.
While Canelo's record doesn't contain a host of marquee wins, he definitely raised his profile in his last fight. In April, Canelo handed Austin Trout a loss via unanimous decision. It was Trout's first loss as a professional.
Meanwhile, Mayweather's unbeaten streak as a professional stands at 44 and counting.
This is the basis for the the boxing public's desire to see this fight and why Mayweather could proudly post this on his Instagram account after scheduling this bout:
While Mayweather realizes this is the fight the public wanted, he also had to realize this is a fight he is in a great position to win.
Canelo does have one thing going for him, and he put that on display against Trout. In the seventh round of that fight, Canelo handed Trout the first knockdown of his career. That certainly helps highlight Canelo's biggest advantage in his upcoming bout with Mayweather: his power.
Alvarez will have the old puncher's chance against Mayweather. Unfortunately for Canelo, Mayweather is too smart and skilled a fighter to leave himself open for possible big blows.
Money is arguably the greatest defensive fighter the sport has ever seen, and as we saw in his win against Robert Guerrero, Money's last time in action, he still has that amazing defensive talent.
Check out this CompuBox tweet:
Money isn't just a genius at avoiding punches either. He also has a wonderful counter attack. This is where Canelo is really going to get into trouble.
Alvarez will have a hard time landing any shots on Mayweather. Naturally, this will frustrate him, and that will lead to him being over aggressive. Once that happens, Mayweather will pepper him with pot shots and land the occasional big blow.
And Canelo is not nearly as skilled at avoiding shots as Mayweather. Despite beating Trout, he landed 30 fewer punches in the bout.
Canelo is still a developing fighter. While he has an accomplished record, he is just 22 and still learning to be more than just a puncher. Mayweather will take advantage of this at will.
Mayweather will win this bout with another unanimous decision.
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