Floyd Mayweather Jr. has another difficult fight in front of him on Saturday, but the unbeaten pound-for-pound king has been there before.
This time, his opponent — fellow unbeaten junior middleweight titlist Canelo Alvarez — is a hungry, younger fighter with lots of power.
Mayweather, however, is still fast, and his experience and defensive skills will likely present a problem for Alvarez. But in boxing, nothing is written in stone and to achieve victory, Mayweather will need all of his knowledge — and his tricks.
Here are five keys to victory for Mayweather against Alvarez:
Speed, defense, patienceThis is where the greatest difference lies between the two fighters and Mayweather should exploit it to the fullest. Waiting, dodging, counterpunching, moving his legs, but always keeping the foot on the gas pedal. Mayweather will hit Alvarez when backpedaling or launching surprise combinations. Mayweather’s usual recipe of destroying opponents little by little will also work against Alvarez. Without a real expectation of winning by knockout, Mayweather should work through 12 rounds to gain a comfortable lead on the scorecards.
Power controlAlvarez’s advantages are centered on his firepower and weight. Canelo will be significantly heavier than Mayweather by fight time, so his punches will hurt wherever he lands. Mayweather has to watch out for the body punches, but also minimize the ones aiming to his arms. Too many of those and Mayweather’s speed could disappear.
Been there, done thatMental toughness is always a key factor when a veteran fighter like Mayweather faces a youngster like Alvarez, maybe as important as the physical or technical attributes of the fighters. The expectation is for Alvarez to be nervous facing the responsibility of headlining a big event in the biggest fight of his career. He is in danger of looking anxious, and that could lead to him making mistakes. Mayweather will bring out his old, cocky self, talk to his corner, smile to his trainers, even talk to the public or hum an old Mexican tune. Why not? Anything would be good enough to throw Alvarez off his game.
In and out in a flashMayweather will be moving around a lot, as we know. But can he keep up the rhythm for a long time against a younger, power puncher like Alvarez? At some point he’ll have to stop and engage. Using his jab with a lot of precision can keep Alvarez away and help set up his counterpunches to test Alvarez’s chin.
Think about the pastDuring his 2012 unanimous decision victory over Miguel Cotto, Mayweather took some punches. I’m sure Alvarez watched that video several times and even his trainer Roberto Alcazar recommended Alvarez to fight the way Cotto did against Mayweather. “Cotto forced him to fight, he was the one who punched Floyd the most thanks to his rhythm, which allowed him to punch high and low,” said Alcazar. Mayweather won that fight easily in the end, but does he want to take a chance against Alvarez? He better not.
