SONAHR Las Vegas, Nevada – September 14, 2013 – Professor Floyd Mayweather Jr., PhD (Doctor of Pugilism) conducted yet another course in Boxing 101 on Saturday Night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. His pupil, Saul ?Canelo? Alvarez, proved willing enough. But Alvarez could neither outpunch nor outsmart the Professor, and the Mexican idol left the roped classroom with the first defeat on his record. Mayweather?s fists lectured faster than Alvarez could take notes. Even a crib sheet wouldn?t have helped Canelo on Saturday, as Mayweather added the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine junior-middleweight titles to a collection that is so extensive he needs an entourage just to carry all his championship belts into the ring during the introductions.
The only surprise came when the judges rendered their decision. Two of them voted for Mayweather. But the third, C.J. Ross, scored it a draw. To put Ross?s tally in perspective, she was one of the judges who inexplicably saw Timothy Bradley outpointing Manny Pacquiao last year.
Ross needs to either take a refresher course at the judging academy (and if there isn?t such a place, there should be), or hang up her scorecard. The kind of misjudging she practices is one of the reasons boxing is struggling to prevent its popularity from eroding further than it already has.
High hopes had followed Alvarez into the ring. He had size and youth on his side, as well as a rare amount of experience for a fighter who is only 23 years old (He turned pro at 15). He came into the ring an underdog, but there was still the possibility that he could do to Mayweather what Jermain Taylor did to the older, more experienced Bernard Hopkins back in 2005: convince the judges that workrate trumps effectiveness.
The problem is, Mayweather does not allow his opponents to outwork him. After missing and getting countered round after round, they basically stop throwing punches, thus allowing the professor to finish his lecture as he pleases. That?s what happened to Alvarez.
In the wake of his first defeat, Canelo?s future is far from bleak. He can beat just about any 154-pounder in the world whose name isn?t Mayweather. And a move up to middleweight to face fellow Mexican superstar Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would probably be the biggest fight in that country?s storied boxing history, and make both fighters a mint of pesos.
As for Mayweather, he proved that at age 36, he still possesses all the skills and tools that make him the world?s top fighter pound-for-pound over the past several years. If he?s lost a step, it doesn?t show. And that bodes ill for anyone who seeks to erase the ?0? from his record.
Danny Garcia, who scored a solid decision over the hard-hitting Lucas Matthysse on the Mayweather-Alvarez undercard, is being talked up as Mayweather?s next opponent. Impressive as Garcia was against the dangerous Matthysse, though, a win over a slugger is not the best yardstick by which to measure his chances against a stylist like Mayweather. The Professor would school Garcia just as he did Alvarez.
If Timothy Bradley can get past Juan Manuel Marquez next month, Mayweather would be the next logical step for him. But despite Bradley?s undefeated record, a Mayweather matchup would be a hard sell. Styles make fights, and all the Axe deodorant in the world wouldn?t be enough to prevent a pair of defensive-minded boxers like Mayweather and Bradley from stinking up the joint. If Marquez beats Bradley, on the other hand, the victory will be moot as Mayweather easily defeated Marquez four years ago, and there?s no reason to believe the result of a rematch would be any different.
Another possibility is the winner of the November fight between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios. There was a time when Mayweather-Pacquiao was the most talked-about matchup of this young century. But the fight was never made, and Pacquiao?s losses last year to Bradley and Marquez have dimmed the Filipino?s luster. Still, the fight has enough appeal to diehard fans to make it feasible for promoters. If Rios hands Pacquiao his third consecutive defeat, that will be a huge career boost for the younger man. But it wouldn?t help him much in Professor Mayweather?s classroom.
And then, there?s always the chance that Mayweather could move up to middleweight, where the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Sergio Martinez eagerly await. But Floyd is not likely to take that step. The arc of his career has shown that his skill as a fighter is exceeded only by his acumen as a matchmaker for himself.
So who, between 140 and 154 pounds, can beat Floyd ?Money? Mayweather? At this point, only Father Time ? or a panel of judges consisting of clones of C.J. Ross. ———————— 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 award-winning novel, Damballa, which centers around a fictional heavyweight title bout, is available at Amazon.com.
