There may be a day when it is not laughable to compare Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez to Manny Pacquiao. That day, most assuredly, is not remotely near.
Pacquiao is the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world and one of the most accomplished fighters of all time. He?ll be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame regardless of whether he wins another bout.
Alvarez is a 20-year-old who has already won a world title, but he hasn?t faced nearly the kind of competition that would convince a neutral observer that he?s going to be an elite fighter.
Yet, in one way, Alvarez has already far surpassed Pacquiao. Despite his youth and with few recognizable names on his record, Alvarez is already a top draw and moving up quickly.
Pacquiao is the biggest drawing card in the sport, but that wasn?t the case when he made his U.S. debut in 2001 by fighting Lehlo Ledwaba on an Oscar De La Hoya undercard at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
By that time, Pacquiao was 22 and already an established superstar in the Philippines. He was, however, a virtual unknown in the U.S.
It took Pacquiao several years, a number of promotional and managerial changes and a slew of big wins for him to become the worldwide icon he is today.
Alvarez doesn?t have nearly Pacquiao?s resume in the ring, but he?s so popular outside of it, he?s treated with the kind of reverence it took Pacquiao years of toil in the U.S. to earn.
Alvarez will defend his World Boxing Council super welterweight title Saturday against veteran Ryan Rhodes in the main event of an HBO card in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Alvarez is so big in the state of Jalisco that it ponied up big money from a tourism fund to Golden Boy Promotions in order to earn the right to stage the fight. The fee was so large that it made the rights fee that HBO paid Golden Boy secondary.
?From a turnout standpoint, Canelo is in a league of his own,? Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said. ?Juan Manuel Marquez is going to fight (a tune-up bout) in Mexico in July and he?s probably going to draw 2,000. Canelo will bring in tens of thousands.?
He could go on to a nice career, make a lot of money and be set for life should he never improve as a boxer.
There are many questions about whether he?s good enough to fight the likes of Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., who are competing at welterweight, just one division below him.
He?s 36-0-1 with 26 knockouts, but there are as many questions as answers: How will he deal with quick fighters like Pacquiao and Mayweather? How will he be able to handle athletic guys like Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams? Is he nimble enough to box against a slick boxer like Sergiy Dzinziruk? Does he have the chin that would allow him to stand toe-to-toe with sluggers like Alfredo Angulo?
His manager/trainer, Jose ?Chepo? Reynoso, has few doubts. In an interview with HBO for its ?Ring Life? series, Reynoso raved about Alvarez? complete game and suggested he?ll answer questions about his skills in due time.
?I have never seen someone as complete as him,? Reynoso said. ?He is a genius in the ring. Some people don?t understand that he is only 20 years old. But he can do things that some veterans can?t.?
Reynoso?s son, Alvarez? co-trainer, Eddie Reynoso, repeats much of the same praise. He sees Alvarez as a complete fighter already who is only going to refine his game and get better as he?s in the ring more.
?The difference between him and other Mexicans is that he has more technique,? Eddie Reynoso said. ?He has more defense. He knows how to avoid being hit. He works his legs more, in comparison to the classical Mexican fighter, just charging ahead. For every punch given, they receive three. Canelo avoids three and gives three.?
Part of that may be because of his level of competition and not because of great skill on his part. Matthew Hatton, whom Alvarez defeated in a one-sided decision to win the title in March, is far from a great fighter and is not the kind of guy expected to provide trouble for an elite talent.
Alvarez is an elite attraction, yet still must prove he?s an elite draw. But give him credit for want to do so. He?s thinking big.
?My goal is to be the best fighter,? he said. ?To be the best, you have to challenge the best, and I think I could be ready for Pacquiao in a year.?
Schaefer said he would be willing to pair Alvarez with either Mayweather or Pacquiao within 18 months and said the competition level is going to be on an upswing.
Rhodes won?t be an easy task, though the 34-year-old from England is closer to the end of the line than he is to his prime.
?Ryan Rhodes is a veteran puncher and there is a lot of question about whether he?ll take this 20-year-old to school,? Schaefer said. ?Canelo is stepping up in competition level and while we believe he can handle it, it?s a legitimate question (whether he can) until he proves it. He?s been passing all the tests with flying colors so far. We keep challenging him and he keeps delivering.?
If he proves that he can fight at the highest level, it would be a boon to boxing, because it would mean the creation of another superstar.
Talent alone won?t do it. There are plenty of extremely talented guys boxers who never become a drawing card or a star. Williams is as physically gifted as anyone, but he has no real fan base and struggles to sell tickets.
Alvarez, clearly, has no such problems, though his popularity now is largely with the Hispanic population.
But just like Pacquiao, whose popularity in the first few years of this century was exclusively with Filipinos, Alvarez has a lot of room for growth.
If he proves he can fight ? really fight ? he?s going to become the guy everyone else is chasing for years and years.
