A window can stay open only so long for a great fight to be made when the timing is this perfect.
In the case of Floyd Mayweather Jr., fresh off his flawless dismantling of Robert Guerrero to retain the WBC welterweight title, there’s no better time than now to go after the biggest name realistically available to him: unbeaten junior middleweight titlist Canelo Alvarez.
Here are five reasons why:
1. Dollars and sense. There are only so many times two unbeaten champions in or around the same division who rank this high on boxing’s popularity list have a chance to square off. It’s even rarer when it’s this easy to make. Mayweather-Alvarez is simply the richest fight that can legitimately be made and one that could potentially challenge Mayweather’s pay-per-view record-setting victory over Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. This holds greater weight considering rumors that the Guerrero fight did worse on pay-per-view than was expected, which could deal Showtime a heavy financial loss in its first of a mega five-fight deal with Mayweather.
2. “Perfect” timing. There are more factors beyond the fighters’ unbeaten records that make now the perfect time for the fight to take place. At 36, Mayweather renounced any notion that age had caught up to him with his victory over Guerrero. But Father Time will eventually catch up to him in a way his opponents still haven’t, and facing an opponent as dangerous as Alvarez before age robs Mayweather of even the smallest amount of decline would be advantageous. As would challenging Alvarez, fresh off his breakthrough victory over Austin Trout, before the ever-improving champion realizes any more of his staggering potential.
3. Credibility. Mayweather is willing to tell anyone within earshot of the 44 fighters who have tried and failed against him, calling himself the greatest fighter in the sport’s history. But there hasn’t been a time in Mayweather’s career when his r?sum? has been under more scrutiny. The best way to quiet critics is by accepting a fight against a prime opponent such as Alvarez, who might represent Mayweather’s most dangerous challenge on paper since his fight with Diego Corrales in 2001. He also would give Mayweather a chance at securing the defining victory of equal commercial and critical meaning that his career has lacked. To argue that Alvarez is too big or that the fight is better-served at a catchweight isn’t fair, considering Mayweather is a defending and two-time titlist in Alvarez’s division. It’s about daring to be great — the same thing Juan Manuel Marquez tried when he moved up two weight classes to face Mayweather in 2009.
4. That’s his job. Mayweather has been able to call his own shots thanks to his standing as both the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter and the sport’s biggest draw. But there’s a responsibility to defend that crown by taking on difficult challenges. It comes with the territory. Regardless of who you blame for Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao never happening, the fallout has been a negative one for Floyd’s legacy. If the Alvarez fight doesn’t pan out, the impact could be more damaging.
5. He would win. Let’s not pull any punches here: While Alvarez is clearly a dangerous opponent thanks to his size, power and youth, the version of Mayweather who demoralized Guerrero would have beaten anyone in the world at or below 160 pounds that night. There’s a reason why Mayweather is the greatest fighter of his era.
