The highly-anticipated super welterweight championship showdown between Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is less than a week away, meaning that the endless hype will soon give way to the actual bout.
The top pound-for-pound fighter in the business, Mayweather enters with a perfect 44-0 while Alvarez looks to pick up his 43rd professional victory in a result that would certainly be the greatest accomplishment of his young career.
Below we'll break down what each fighter must do in order to remain unbeaten this weekend.
For Canelo to Win, He Must...
Beating Floyd Mayweather isn't an impossible feat, but it's safe to say that Canelo Alvarez will be fighting an uphill battle on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The 23-year-old Mexican superstar has the necessary power (30 career knockouts), but lacks top-flight experience. While he has 43 professional fights under his belt since 2005, he has yet to face an opponent as talented or accomplished as Mayweather.
Therefore, the underdog will need to stay patient on Saturday, picking and choosing his spots wisely.
Money is a master at making opponents miss and allowing them to wear themselves down. Canelo must look to set the tone early by cutting off the ring and landing significant shots, not just a high volume.
Effectively, going for the knockout too soon will leave Alvarez open to a counter from Mayweather, who has 26 career knockouts to his name.
Canelo should also stick to the jab throughout, where he'll have a better shot at landing punches consistently, thus increasing his odds of actually hurting Mayweather and making an impact on the judges' scorecard.
Undoubtedly, Alvarez will have to show more than he ever has in Saturday night's fight in order to come out with the win. But if there's an advantage he does have, it's the fact that he's 13 years younger and has much more to gain from a win than Mayweather, who can only hurt his legacy with a loss.
For Mayweather to Win, He Must...
Floyd Mayweather must do what he does best on Saturday night in order to run his record to 45-0.
Money has elevated himself to top pound-for-pound fighter on the planet status by studying his opponents' strengths and limiting those strengths inside the ring.
On top of his ability to game plan for a fight, Mayweather's unrivaled defensive ability will be key for him.
If he can continue to use his lateral quickness and anticipation to his advantage, he can wear out Canelo and damage his younger opponent's confidence early in the fight.
Of course, stamina and morale are also two key areas where Money can gain an edge instantly, and on Saturday he'll look to do that against Canelo.
The right hand lead, perhaps Mayweather's most devastating punch given the frequency in which he relies on it, will be something to watch for this weekend. Over the course of 12 rounds that shot could pay off and wreak enough havoc to lead Money to a win on the judges' scorecard.
In essence, if Canelo is covering up well, Mayweather can look to transition from a jab to a hook in order to make the most of his punches.
Either way, the blueprint for success for Mayweather will be much easier to follow given that he won't have to change a whole lot and the fact that it's worked out for him so often in the past.
Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.
Read more Boxing news on BleacherReport.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment