Floyd Mayweather Jr. should be commended for moving up to a catchweight of 152 pounds to fight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez in September, but he was also sneaky smart in deciding to fight the powerful young Mexican at this point in time.
Mayweather wasn't required to fight Alvarez, a rising star who has compiled 31 knockouts while going undefeated in 43 fights. But Mayweather scheduled a fight anyway, knowing full well that Alvarez has the power to threaten the 36-year-old legend's perfect 44-0 record.
For that, he deserves credit, even from his biggest doubters. He also at least quiets down talk that he ducks from fights (i.e. the Manny Pacquiao fiasco).
But he also gave himself somewhat of a break by scheduling Alvarez now rather than further down the line.
Alvarez is a rising star, but the key word is "rising." He is not at Mayweather's level right now, in terms of his technical boxing skills or, most notably, his defense. While the 23-year-old showed better defense in his victory via unanimous decision over Austin Trout in April, he's still likely going to have trouble with Mayweather's precise counter-punching.
Alvarez has also exhibited the propensity to slow down later in fights as he tires. That has happened to many of Mayweather's foes, who try to get through his defense early, only to wear down in the end.
The reality is, the best way to tackle the challenge posed by Mayweather is to be patient and look for opportunities, while making sure not to needlessly throw wild, hopeful punches and, thus, lose energy.
Of course, Alvarez is still young, which makes that unlikely. Alvarez is a smart boxer, but he still hasn't displayed the kind of boxing intelligence that would help him whittle away at Money May's psyche.
At this stage, Mayweather outclasses Alvarez, which should lead to him tacking on yet another victory on Sept. 14 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But Alvarez does pose a legitimate threat with his power, which will boost Mayweather even more in the public eye if and when the veteran wins.
As we've seen time and time again, Mayweather's intelligence extends beyond the ring, whether it be scheduling fights or promoting them.
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