Good Great Greatest: Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
With a record of 40 wins with 29 knock outs 0 losses and 1 draw, Alvarez has created quite a buzz and mystery in the boxing world since his appearance in the main stream of the sport, but where is he at on the scale of Good Great Greatest?
He started his career on 10/29/05 at the age of 15. Being born and raised in Mexico, his first 22 bouts were there, which he fought to a 21 win 0 losses and 1 draw record. His first fight outside of Mexico was when he fought in Cabazon, California on 10/24/2008 against Larry Mosley where he fought to a 10 round unanimous decision.
Since really becoming a factor in the sport he has beaten Matthew Hatton by Unanimous Decision, Alfonso Gomez by 6th round TKO, Kermit Cintron by 5th round TKO, and he most recently defeated “Sugar” Shane Mosley by Unanimous Decision. He has defeated more fighters than this but these are the fights that most people will remember or even know about.
Alvarez is definitely a good fighter and as long as he stays undefeated there is not much bad you can say about him right? I Can…
His career was brought along by Golden Boy slowly and protected in my opinion, which is neither bad nor uncommon, but he has 40 wins and still has not had that defining fight! Shane Mosley has been passed his prime for some years now and was expected to lose, but he was still able to give a viable fight against the young warrior. I’m not sure yet if that is any indication because Mosley’s old form is still very competitive but COME ON!!! By competitive I mean: He will not just roll over and die, he needed assistant but was not given enough in this fight.
Analysis:
Alvarez seems to have a great set of abilities that should take him a long way in this sport, but come to think about it……So did Lucian Bute, which is another fighter that lacked that definitive fight to make his claim in the top of this sport, but was just handed it.
The question is: Is Alvarez as good as everyone thinks he is? or is he another Bute ready to be knocked from grace (Not saying that Bute cannot bounce back from this) because he was kept away from real competition, and when he finally got it, he was beleaguered? I could go on and compare him to Andre Berto as well, but if you know who Andre Berto is, then you already see the comparison.
I believe that Saul Alvarez is a Good fighter that will make his way to becoming a top notch Good fighter by mid 2013, but that’s when he will have to fight a top five fighter to prove he deserves to be at the level most claim he’s at already. He punches from different angles, has decent speed, and knock out power, so he has the tools needed to advance his career.
Potential:
How far could Alvarez rise? With his abilities, with the right trainer and the right attitude, I believe he could become a great fighter, but my expectations of that happening are LOW! He’s Young but I don’t think that matters as much. A person’s peak is a person’s peak, no matter what age they are at. His mental strength is a big part and will be displayed when he is handed his first loss, which is when we will see his true durability.
I like Alvarez and think he is capable of going far, but I need to see more to be convinced he will. Right now I think he is a good fighter and will arguably make it to great but that’s it…..No further than that if he even gets to it. He has a match against Josesito Lopez, whom just broke the jaw of Victor Ortiz in an upset win, so he will have a chance to win big and increase his stock because anything less will do nothing for his career.
