Right now is a precious time in the career of Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez. At 20 years of age, the welterweight prospect/contender obviously doesn?t need to be rushed into anything yet he has also shown himself to be a fighter with enough true potential that people are wanting to see him tested in some manner from this point forward.
On Saturday night the pugilist nicknamed ?Canelo?, or ?Cinnamon? in English, produced another professional outing as he won a convincing twelve-round decision over Australia?s Lovemore N?dou in Veracruz, Mexico. Alvarez may not have tallied the desired knockout that so many would have loved to see but that?s far from a knock considering that the former champion N?dou has never been stopped despite tasting leather from such punchers as Miguel Cotto, Kermit Cintron and Junior Witter.
<--- Slideshow: Images of Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez?s latest victory
Wanting to get an assessment on Alvarez?s progression thus far I decided to reach out to HBO analyst Larry Merchant, never one to hold back his true feelings on any subject in the sport. Speaking from his home in Los Angeles, Merchant took some time from yet another busy NFL Sunday and confessed his fondness towards the Jalisco, Mexico native.
?I thought it was an excellent performance against a solid veteran who still seemed highly motivated and in shape,? Merchant said of Alvarez?s latest triumph. ?I think that Alvarez is probably the best 20-year old fighter I have seen in some time in terms of being a complete fighter and having skills, toughness, hunger, bravery, a good sense of what is going on in the ring and knowing when to go and not to go, and having a balance of defense and offense. At this point he seems to be sophisticated beyond his years as a professional prizefighter. He?s playing hard and tough and showing stamina and skill. Right now I love what I see.?
If ever there was a red flag that you could throw at Alvarez, of course it would be his youth but perhaps also his victory earlier this year against Jose Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas underneath Floyd Mayweather?s drubbing of Shane Mosley. In that contest Alvarez was stunned in the opening minutes by his smaller foe before gathering himself and dominating the action as he eventually polished off the Puerto Rican in the ninth round with a volley of headshots. While the ending was emphatic, seeing Alvarez in trouble on the ropes early in the fight must have been scary for his supporters.
Giving his take on that opening round scare, Alvarez insists it was simply a case of his nerves getting the best of him. Merchant seems to agree that the red-haired pug would benefit himself with a couple more fights before swimming into deep waters yet also offered up a scenario for the fighter that was surprising to hear.
?I think he needs another fight or two,? Merchant admitted. ?He needs to step up before he takes the more serious fights. I?m on the record after last night of saying that later next year that assuming he?s had a couple of fights against better competition, that I think if Mayweather isn?t available and if Pacquiao has fought perhaps Marquez, that I could see this guy fighting Pacquiao in a year from now. I know a lot of people think that is premature. My view of that is possibly it is, possibly he is never going to really get much better. Possibly if he waits much longer Pacquiao may have lost and it wouldn?t mean as much.?
Newsflash: Michael Koncz never expected this from Manny Pacquiao
While many would consider such a proposition too risky at this point in Alvarez?s career, Merchant pointed out that they may be right and also looked at young Fernando Vargas? battle with Felix Trinidad in December of 2000 at the Mandalay Bay as a possible parallel to Alvarez?s current situation. In that fight a 22-year old Vargas fought valiantly before being stopped in the twelfth round yet Merchant notes that the Oxnard, California star gave a hell of an effort while making some serious money for himself both on that night and down the road.
If anything, Merchant at least would appreciate Alvarez?s name being in the mix.
?I want to see him in the conversation,? he continued. ?And then see what Pacquiao does next. See whether Mayweather is available. And see what he does in the next two fights and if he steps up. I think that if it is all laid out, if Pacquiao were to fight Marquez then presumably we could see Berto fight Mosley and the winner be in line. But in terms of what this kid has that nobody has, is star potential. He already is a star in Mexico. He has huge ratings whenever he fights. He has transcended the boxing world with the following he has. So if he keeps doing well that may be, outside of the Mayweather fight, the biggest potential event that there could be.?
The above-mentioned hopes of Merchant are worth thought but it should be noted that Pacquiao seems nearly set for an April 16th date against Mosley at the MGM Grand, thus spoiling the party just a bit for Merchant.
I finished up our talk on Alvarez by giving Merchant enough respect in considering a possible Pacquiao-Alvarez bout while mentioning the rift that exists between Bob Arum, Pacquiao?s promoter and Golden Boy Promotions who oversee young Alvarez. Wanting to remain optimistic yet also speaking with a realistic tone in his voice, Merchant pointed to the two failed negotiations between Pacquiao and Mayweather earlier this year.
While money talks, nothing is for certain in the sport of boxing.
?At the end of the day we are assuming it?s the kind of deal that can be made. The Mayweather-Pacquiao negotiations showed us that dollars don?t always count. We assumed that this was a fight that was going to make each guy 30 or 40 million dollars or more and for whatever reasons they found a way not to make it. So I can?t say for sure that it?s all about the money. But it?s only been about the money. Presumably and hopefully they could make a fight that could be bigger down the road. I thought I knew about these things but the Mayweather-Pacquaio debacle informed me that I didn?t.?
Stay tuned for the second part of my interview with Larry Merchant as we discuss the potential matchups of Nonito Donaire-Fernando Montiel and Humberto Soto-Brandon Rios?
