Floyd Mayweather must be at his best on Saturday night in order to defeat Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, who will present Money with his toughest challenge in years.
The two fighters both enter this superfight with undefeated records, and though Alvarez is 13 years Mayweather's junior, he brings a wealth of experience with him into the ring.
Mayweather is certainly one of the greatest boxers of his generation and has forged a legendary career to rival any of the best boxers in the history of the sport. With a record of 44-0, he relies on quickness, speed, deception and unrivaled intelligence in the ring to defeat his opponents.
Alvarez is forging a legendary career of his own, and he brings an impressive 42-0-1 record into this fight. Unlike Mayweather, Canelo routinely pummels his opponents into submission. With 30 career knockouts, he possesses elite power and can knock anyone out under the right circumstances.
Both fighters feature elite qualities, but only one will walk out of the MGM Grand with his undefeated record intact. Here's a look at the biggest key for both boxers that will help them accomplish this goal.
Floyd Mayweather Must Not Allow Alvarez to Get in Close Early
Given the power Alvarez possesses, it's not inconceivable that Mayweather could get knocked down once or twice in this fight.
In his triumphant return to the ring this past May, Money did a lot of damage to Robert Guerrero on counters while he was backed into a corner. He was significantly quicker than Guerrero, who didn't have the power behind his punches to hurt him even when he didn't connect, which wasn't often.
He utilized a similar strategy against Miguel Cotto at times in his previous fight, and the bigger Cotto rocked him a few times with savage blows.
Such a strategy against Alvarez wouldn't be smart, as the Mexican fighter features a brutal uppercut that is capable of laying Mayweather out in close quarters.
Money must tire out his opponent by utilizing his superior quickness, staying away from the powerful puncher early in the fight. Alvarez will get frustrated by his inability to land punches and will open himself up to counters.
Canelo Alvarez Must Stay Patient
In Mayweather's fight against Guerrero, The Ghost worked furiously in the first few rounds to try and finish the fight early. Unfortunately for Guerrero, the only thing his efforts accomplished was that he burned himself out. By the end of the fight, he was completely ineffective.
Alvarez knows he isn't likely to win against Mayweather if the fight lasts 12 rounds. His best—and perhaps only—chance of winning on Saturday is if he knocks Money out.
With that in mind, it would be easy for the young fighter to get antsy early in the fight. But an undisciplined approach will doom him before he ever gets going. Mayweather is too quick and smart to get caught unaware by an early flurry.
Alvarez must adopt a strategy Mayweather uses in most of his fights: He must test Mayweather without overextending himself, probing for any weakness he can exploit. Then, after he's weighed and measured his opponent, he can strike with the force and power at his disposal.
Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment