Boxing’s “Fight of the Century” is over, and there is a nasty taste in the mouths of a lot of folks — mostly the “casual fans,” of course, or even the non-fans who were suckered into the $100 pay-per-view, but some diehard fans, too, who — even if foolishly — expected something more from the greatest two fighters of the generation, particularly after all the hype.
What we got was not what we were sold. In boxing, that is often the case. Where was the violence? The drama? The feeling that something was truly at stake? When boxing works best, it is a visceral experience, one that captivates a viewer as two human beings do things they really shouldn’t be doing to one another, showing unreal fortitude, grit, and skill under pressure. Mayweather vs Pacquiao had skill, but it also had the pace of a chess match, and a general feeling that the passion, which is key for a truly great fight, just wasn’t there. The fight was business, with a torn rotator cuff.
One week later, the promise of a new day will arrive. On HBO World Championship Boxing from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland will square off in a 12-round junior middleweight main event.
It’s hard to tell a casual fan to tune in to another big fight a week after they were burned by Mayweather-Pacquiao. But this is one you want to see. This is one that boxing fans can genuinely recommend as a fight, not just as an must-see sporting and cultural event.
Canelo Alvarez, 24, is the biggest star in Mexican boxing right now, and arguably the third-biggest star in the sport today, behind Mayweather and Pacquiao and right there with Wladimir Klitschko. Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KO) needs a win on Saturday in the sense that he certainly can’t afford to lose. It would cost him a said to be agreed-upon fight with Miguel Cotto later this year, for one thing, and Canelo is also at the stage of his career where he’s done some really impressive things, especially given his age, and there’s no question he’s a very good fighter, but it feels like he needs to do something truly special, particularly if he will be inheriting the throne as boxing’s go-to star in the near future.
