This is the fight that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) has been waiting for his entire boxing career. If he can be victorious he will be the new mega star in the boxing world and a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (44-0, 26 KO’s) would pay tremendous dividends. On the other hand, if he were to lose, this fight still does a lot for his career.
This remains true so long as he doesn’t get completely dominated or knocked out. What does Canelo Alvarez need to bring to the table in order to have the best shot at winning the big fight?
Fights are largely won or lost in the gym. Whoever works the hardest and the smartest is most likely the one to be victorious. My opinion on how Canelo should train for this fight is to be more careful not to over-train than to be too worried about under-training. This fight is critical. You don’t want to be burned out. Yes, this is the biggest fight of your life but you are still only going 12 rounds. It isn’t a big bump like fighters used to have when they had to go 15 rounds for the big fight. If I was Canelo, I would train hard but not too hard. I’d focus on cardio conditioning and doing a lot of body weight exercises to be strong on the inside and hopefully muscle Floyd around or at the very least, not get pushed around.
One thing I like about Canelo Alvarez is that he is technically solid. He doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses. He has a strong jab, good crosses and terrific hooks. He’s going to need to use all his punches, incorporating a vast array of punch combinations to befuddle the older Mayweather. He is going to want to practice leading and countering and switching it up at the right times to make Floyd uncomfortable!
Footwork is a big factor in this fight. When Mayweather throws his lead rights, how can Canelo counter him with the left hook? He’s gonna have to practice this and try different things because what might work in the first few rounds won’t work once Mayweather adapts and switches things up to make things more difficult. This is going to be a fight where a couple of strategies are gonna have to be incorporated!
Most fighters attempt to fight Floyd the same way. They cut off the ring, they try to throw lots of punches and they try to follow him with the jab. This hasn’t really worked very well, has it? Canelo needs to make Floyd throw first. He has to time him with the hook when Floyd throws the lead right hand. He has to use master footwork in order to be close to Floyd when he (Canelo) wants to punch, and far away when Floyd wants to punch. Its a science. There is so much to it that its difficult to describe here. But, to say it in the most basic way, Canelo needs to make Mayweather feel uncomfortable. He has to make him reach and when he reaches, he has to counter him!
If I was Canelo Alvarez I would do things to really anger Floyd Mayweather. It wouldn’t be outside of my ethical boundaries to throw elbows, low punches or even shots to the back of the head. Canelo Alvarez should make things ugly. Make it a street fight. Then, when Mayweather gets mad, use some of the strategies I mentioned before to land some good shots. If I were a betting man, and the stakes were even, I’d put my money on Mayweather but we can’t count out this young hungry fighter because he’s coming to win. At least now boxing fans have a great appreciation for what Canelo Alvarez needs to do in the ring. Bring it on, Young Warrior. And good luck to you!