It is almost 12 long years since Canelo Alvarez suffered his first career defeat against the mighty Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Canelo was just 23 years of age when he was given the chance to take on boxing’s P4P megastar, quite simply the ‘Money’ and the opportunity was too good to turn down.
Almost predictably given his relative lack of seasoning at the very highest level, Alvarez came up short in that megamatch at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas back in September 2013. While one of the judges scored the bout a draw, the other two gave it comfortably to Mayweather.
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Since then Canelo has clearly thought often about that night, and what might have been. It’s clear he (and many other keen observers) believe the opportunity just came too soon for the Mexican great (now 62-2-2).
Now Alvarez is boxing’s PPV cash cow at the age of 34, and ready for more massive challenges after signing that landmark four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season.
The first fight on that contract is a super-middleweight title unification against Cuban William Scull in Riyadh on May 3 (live on DAZN PPV). But that is seen by many as just a tune-up for the big one – an absolute blockbuster against welterweight/super welterking king Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (41-0).
Canelo on Crawford superfight
Canelo vs Crawford would see ‘Bud’ moving up two more weights for the biggest fight of his career, and it is without doubt the biggest fight boxing could make right now. It’s pencilled in for September, assuming Alvarez takes care of business on May 3.
The man from Guadalajara admitted in an interview with Mike Coppinger of Ring magazine (watch the full version at the bottom of this page) that he believes that night against Mayweather would have been very different right now. He believes he is a different Canelo, and a showdown with Crawford (who has a style similar to Floyd Jr) could go some way to proving that.
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When Coppinger threw that theory out there, Alvarez responded: “To show people I’m different now, that I’m an experienced fighter today. I always think that I just needed more years before the fight with Mayweather. But things happen and I learned a lot. And I don’t blame myself because I learned a lot.
“But yes, it’s the opportunity show what kind of a fighter I am right now.”
Scull banana skin won’t trip up Canelo
Canelo though is quick to point out that many big names have slipped on a banana skin masquerading as a tune-up fight in the past. Some scheduled megafights have bitten the dust with shock upsets in prelims.
He said: “I know what they want, everybody wants that fight [vs Crawford]. I need to take care of the May fight and then we’ll see. Who knows what happens? But I know what the people want and I need to take care of that fight first.”
