If Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather still cannot come to terms for the megabucks fight everyone wants to happen, there are other talented fighters out there in the welterweight and super welterweight divisions.
Rising stars include Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez and Jesse Vargas, both undefeated. Alvarez recently stopped Josesito Lopez, who broke the jaw of Victor Ortiz for a stunning stoppage in the ninth round. But Lopez was no match for the punching power of Alvarez, who TKO?d him in the fifth round.
Alvarez is the World Boxing Council super welterweight title holder. Young with the matinee idol looks, he?s called ?Canelo? because of his cinnamon colored hair. But more than his good looks, Alvarez can fight and he wants to step up against Mayweather. But Floyd might only want to duel Canelo with swords at 10 paces.
The new Mexican ring sensation could fill the void left by Oscar Del La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. Alvarez looms as the new golden boy of boxing, specially after Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. got whipped recently by Argentina?s Sergio Martinez in La Vegas.
Alvarez started fighting at the age of 15 and has now racked up a 41 ?win, no-loss, one-draw record, with 20 of his triumphs coming by either knockout or stoppage.
How would Pacquiao measure up against Alvarez? I would advise Manny to not even try. Canelo is much too strong, too big and too young at 20. Maybe three years ago when at Pacquiao?s peak, he whupped bigger and heavier guys like De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. Even if Manny moves up several pounds , Alvarez would still be stepping into the right as a middleweight on fight night.
With another roadblock removed after the settlement of the defamation suit against Mayweather for claiming Manny uses performance-enhancing drugs, the much-awaited match might still happen. Pacquiao has even agreed to take drug tests before, on the day of and after the fight.
Pacquiao has even accepted a lower 45-55 share of the prize money as a sweetener to lure Mayweather into the ring. So, what?s keeping Floyd?
The last sticking point seems to be the pay-per-view profit. Mayweather, not nicknamed ?Money? for nothing, wants the whole pot, claiming he?s the bigger draw and undefeated. We don?t see Manny giving in to Floyd on this. So greed is the gridlock only Mayweather has a key to.
Ring experts see Pacquiao?s punching power as waning. They see his last two fights against Marquez via a majority decision and a controversial loss to Timothy Bradley as signs of diminished skill. Manny wants to regain the form that earned him unprecedented world titles in eight divisions. Trainer Freddie Roach says his ward is training for the Dec. 8 fight with Marquez like the hungry fighter he used to be. Let?s hope it?s not all hype. Manny must more than win against Marquez in their quartet at the MGM Grand Arena. Another lackluster and controversial win isn?t going to help the Mayweather-Pacquiao match at the gate. If it happens.
Pacquiao and Mayweather are aging ring warriors. Manny is 33 and Mayweather is pushing 38, If they don?t make the match, they will both be irrelevant and no longer bankable at the box office.
