We are rapidly closing in on what should be a thoroughly entertaining bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Saturday's clash in Las Vegas pits one of boxing's great up-and-coming fighters against one of boxing's greats. Alvarez—a 23-year-old whose punches can be devastating—is 42-0-1 coming into the fight. Mayweather—a 36-year-old who has developed into one of the greatest defensive boxers ever—is undefeated in 44 career fights.
Will Canelo find a way to do serious damage against Mayweather? Or will Mayweather pick apart another opponent?
Here are my last-minute predictions for Mayweather vs. Alvarez.
Canelo Will Hurt Mayweather Early
You will remember that Miguel Cotto made Mayweather bleed in May 2012. While Mayweather rarely gets hit, he's not a robot out there. He has been hit a few times in his career.
The difference between Alvarez and any other fighter Mayweather has faced is that one flush shot from Alvarez feels like you got hit with a block of cement. The 23-year-old Mexican has astounding power, with the ability to end the fight in one punch.
Alvarez is also not just a brawler. He's a tactical fighter, making his punches even more deadly.
Mayweather can be get to in the early rounds. It's in the later rounds when he clamps down on his foes, exposing their weaknesses and nullifying their strengths.
I expect Canelo will get through Mayweather's defense a couple of times early and draw blood, but he won't be able to do enough to knock the skilled veteran out.
Mayweather Picks Apart Canelo in the Later Rounds
In my opinion, Canelo has to go for the knockout early in this bout. He doesn't have the boxing experience to steadily gain on Mayweather.
But, seeing that I don't expect him to actually get that knockout, it's obvious what happens next: Mayweather teaches him some boxing lessons down the stretch.
Mayweather will figure out Canelo's tendencies as the bout continues, just as he has with all of his opponents. And when Mayweather figures you out, you may as well wave the white flag (or towel).
Coupled with Alvarez's well-documented propensity to tire late in fights, it doesn't look good for the challenger.
Canelo will excite early, but Mayweather will methodically steal his thunder down the stretch.
Mayweather Will Win via Unanimous Decision
At 36 years of age, Mayweather doesn't have the power he once did. On top of that, he seems to prefer the fight going to the scorecards while avoiding making any big mistakes.
In that sense, Mayweather won't score his 27th career knockout on Saturday, but he will ultimately emerge victorious when the scorecards are read.
The historic boxer will lose a few rounds early but close it out in the later rounds. It will be a unanimous decision, but each judge will have Mayweather just slightly ahead.
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