Sonahr: LAS VEGAS, Nevada – November 22, 2015 – With his unanimous-decision triumph over the legendary four-division champion Miguel Cotto on Saturday night, Mexican wunderkind Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez not only captured the WBC middleweight championship; he also set up what could turn out to be the biggest boxing match since the May 2 Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao superfight. The other headliner in that hopeful 2016 event? None other than undefeated wrecking machine Gennady Golovkin, who holds the WBA ?super? and IBF middleweight titles.
Indeed, one of the first things the brash Canelo did after the scorecards ? 119-109, 118-110 and 117-111 ? were announced in his favor was to call out the Kazakh, offering to put on the gloves and take him on right then and there. Sheer bravado, of course, but still a refreshing change from the other top middleweights? reluctance to step into the ring with GGG. Of course, there?s a reason for that reluctance. Case in point: David Lemieux had enough gumption to risk his IBF title against Golovkin last month, and got clobbered for his impunity.
Still, there?s reason to believe Canelo wasn?t just selling woof tickets on Saturday. He wants to fight the best in the business, and isn?t afraid to take chances. Two years ago, he wanted Mayweather, got him, and ended up receiving a painful boxing lesson from the master ? the only defeat, thus far, on Alvarez?s record. Since last year, he has wanted Cotto, and when he finally got him, he administered a thorough thrashing.
Even though the scoring was lop-sided, though, this wasn?t an easy win for Alvarez. Cotto, who is a sure bet to be voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame the first year he becomes eligible, made Canelo work hard for his victory. However, Canelo is a rising force, while Cotto is, if not a spent force, at least beginning to slip from his prime. The Mexican was simply too young, too strong, and too big for the Puerto Rican.
Alvarez is also younger than Golovkin. But he is not bigger and stronger than GGG. Both men can be characterized as ?skilled sluggers? ? heavy hitters who can also box when they have to ? or want to. Think Joe Louis. Think Marvin Hagler. Think Julio Cesar Chavez.
The difference between Alvarez and Golovkin is in their punching power. With 32 KOs in 48 contests, Canelo?s knockout percentage is a respectable .666. Golovkin, with 31 stoppages in 34 fights, weighs in at an awesome .911 KO ratio. Moreover, Golovkin?s knockouts have come against fellow middleweights. Alvarez started as a junior-welterweight and worked his way up the weight divisions.
Louis?s trainer, Jack ?Chappie? Blackburn, used to say of his protege: ?When he hits ?em, they stay hit.? The difference in their knockout ratios, and the fact that Alvarez is not a natural middleweight, suggests that when GGG hits him, he will ?stay hit.? However, Alvarez has a decent set of whiskers to go along with his aggression, as he demonstrated in his war with James Kirkland earlier this year. If he doesn?t ?stay hit? in the early rounds, Canelo just might drag Golovkin into deeper waters than he?s been in so far. And he might possess just enough pop in his punch to check GGG?s chin.
If the match is made ? and it?s very probable it will ? Golovkin-Alvarez is likely to be the biggest boxing event of 2016. It won?t rake in as much revenue as Mayweather-Pacquiao, but then no fight is likely to do so in the near future. But for fans who shell out the pay-per-view bucks, GGG-Canelo will be worth every penny.
Charles R. Saunders is the author of several books including Sweat and Soul: The Saga of Black Boxers in the Maritimes from the Halifax Forum to Caesars Palace, as well as the Imaro series of fantasy/adventure novels. Considered by many to be one of the leading authorities on boxing in Canada, he is the current Vice-President of Boxing for the Society of North American Sports Historians and Researchers. His novels, Imaro, Damballa, and Abengoni: First Calling are available at Amazon.com.
