Canelo Alvarez is the biggest superstar in boxing. He appears unbeatable considering his recent form and it is very hard to see anybody beating him anytime soon.
But it has been done in the past, by none other than Floyd “Money” Mayweather. The two men faced off back in 2013 in one of the most anticipated fights of the decade.
Mayweather put on an absolute masterclass for 12 rounds. He seemed impossible to hit and countered Alvarez every time he tried to pressure him. He then went on to win the fight by unanimous decision.
But it is important to note that the bout was at a catchweight of 152lbs. Alvarez was already bigger than Mayweather at the time, but now they don’t even compare.
He seems to have found a new home at 168lbs after going up to 175lbs and knocking out Sergey Kovalev to win the WBA light heavyweight title.
On top of that, he’s gotten much better as an overall fighter and his defense is arguably the best in the game.
Alvarez’s protégé Ryan Garcia seems to think that had both Alvarez and Mayweather been in their prime when they fought, the result would’ve been very different.
He talked to ESPN about Alvarez’s improvements and how he would beat Mayweather. h/t Boxingscene
“Canelo wins. At his best, he is much smarter and knows how to maneuver in the ring much better. Pretty boy was good but If he went directly against Canelo, he would be knocked out. He would have to box, and he (Canelo) is a big guy by nature.”
“What I had a problem with [when it came to] Floyd Mayweather was how he represented himself when he got to the top. He threw around the image of glorifying money. I don’t like that.”
Garcia is coming off a sensational TKO victory against Luke Campbell after getting knocked down in the second round. He’s now the interim WBC lightweight champion and plans to face Manny Pacquiao next at a catchweight later this year.