Boxing fans aren’t all that enamored with the sport today, so one can only imagine what the casual fan is feeling in the wake of the less-than-enthralling Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao bout last week.
The so-called “Fight of the Century” didn’t live up to the hype by any standard ? Mayweather won easily and wasn’t really pushed ? and has spawned a series of mostly ridiculous lawsuits as a result of the revelation that Pacquiao fought with a torn rotator cuff that he did not disclose as required.
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Canelo Alvarez (L) and James Kirkland pose last week during a press conference for Saturday’s fight at Minute Maid ? Either Pacquiao or his adviser, Michael Koncz, checked “no” on a form given at the weigh-in by the Nevada Athletic Commission asking if Pacquiao had a shoulder injury. But on fight night, Pacquiao revealed the injury to the commission and asked for (and was denied) a pain-killing shot.
It was horrible news for fans who’d paid grossly inflated prices on airfare, hotel rooms and, most of all, tickets.
And now opportunistic lawyers, who are hardly seeking justice, are filing suit, even though injuries are a part of professional sports competition.
So there are a lot of angry fans, and with some justification. The fight was hardly compelling, the money grab was disgusting and the lawsuits in the aftermath are nauseating.
To the rescue on Saturday come Canelo Alvarez and James Kirkland, who meet in the main event of an HBO card in a super welterweight bout at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
Alvarez, 24, is fighting at exactly the right time for boxing. Yes, Mayweather is a brilliant boxer, but the match with Pacquiao last week attracted millions of fans who either rarely watch boxing or never watch it at all. Those fans don’t appreciate the nuance of the sport and were, as social media has proven, turned off by the lack of action.
Pacquiao chased, couldn’t cut off the ring and threw a stunningly low number of punches while Mayweather did what he had to do to win. One got the sense that if Pacquiao had picked up the pace, Mayweather would have also, but Mayweather wasn’t about to go outside his comfort zone if he didn’t have to do so.
As a result, the sport took one on the chin.
Saturday, Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KOs) hopes to deliver one for the fans. And, truthfully, he’s the perfect guy with the perfect opponent at the perfect time.
Never more was a charismatic, appealing and aggressive star needed to take on a tough, hard-hitting opponent than now.
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Canelo Alvarez is one of boxing’s bright young stars. (AP) Alvarez is a classic boxer-puncher, and is one of the candidates to succeed Mayweather as the sport’s next big pay-per-view star.
Oscar De La Hoya, Alvarez’s promoter and the man who preceded Mayweather as boxing’s top attraction, said Alvarez has that special something that draws people to him.
“How are you going to take an Adrien Broner or a Danny Garcia or whoever else and develop them into a pay-per-view star by fighting on NBC?” De La Hoya said. “Pay-per-view is an entirely different animal. When you’re asking people to pay 50 or 60 bucks to see you fight, it’s totally different than getting them to tune in to [a fight on network] television. Canelo is one of those guys who can do it. He has that aura about him that people want to see him.”
That, of course, is because of his history. Alvarez is a quality boxer, but he is first and foremost a fighter. Kirkland, on the other hand, makes no pretense about being a boxer. In the corner before the bell rings, he’s almost snorting like a bull waiting to break from the chute and attack.
There is little nuance to Kirkland’s game. It’s power vs. power, man vs. man, chin vs. chin. It’s occasionally gotten him, but more often than not, he’s come out on top.
“Kirkland is very dangerous because his punch is very powerful, very extreme,” Alvarez said. “His punches come from all angles. But mostly, his power, he can beat a fighter with one punch. My goal is to fight the best in the world and the fans get what they want.”
A massive crowd, well over 30,000, is expected, and Alvarez should give them what they want. Kirkland (32-1-0, 28 KOs) is heavy-handed and as tough as they come, but he’s not nearly in Alvarez’s league as a boxer.
De La Hoya worries that Alvarez could get caught, and that’s a legitimate fear whenever two guys are slugging it out. But Alvarez proved against Erislandy Lara, one of the slickest boxers in the sport, that he isn’t just a wild brawler.
He should be able to break Kirkland, 31, down and then stop him.
Still, his promoter is fearful, knowing the damage one clean Kirkland shot can do.
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James Kirkland’s game plan is usually to come forward and punch. (Getty) “We know that he’s going to be dangerous until that bell rings,” De La Hoya said. “I’ll be holding my breath, that’s for sure. All it takes is one punch and plans can change dramatically.”
If Alvarez wins, he’ll do his part to set up a fall showdown with Miguel Cotto, the WBC middleweight champion. Alvarez wanted to fight Cotto now, but Cotto opted to take on a vastly easier opponent, Daniel Geale, first.
They fight next month, and if Cotto wins, he?s expected to meet Alvarez later this year.
Alvarez’s willingness to not only say he’ll fight anyone but actually go out and do it is one of the many reasons Alvarez is so popular.
Kirkland, though, knows what a massive opportunity he has in front of him and insists he’s no longer a one-dimensional brawler.
“I am a force of nature that overrides,” Kirkland said. “With heart, my heart is bigger. When it comes to will, no one has my determination. With speed, no one has my speed. When people ask about it, it is a fight you don’t have to worry about. Canelo and I will meet in the middle of the ring and that is where it will all take place.
“I’m a lot more strategized with defense, at the same time being able to move and adjust. The things you’ve seen me lacking, these are the things you’re going to see Kirkland advance and enhance in his ability.”
Boxing needs Kirkland at his best. It needs a good fight, a compelling fight, a match that brings fans out of their seats for something other than to gawk at celebrities.
It needs a good, old-fashioned fist fight.
What it needs, really, is Canelo Alvarez.
