Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO) is a superstar in Mexico and a fighter with one of the brightest futures in the sport. On September 14th he will face the biggest challenge of his career to date, and potentially the stiffest test he will ever be asked to pass in his career, when he takes on Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas.
The young Mexican possesses prodigious power, the likes of which Mayweather has not seen for many years. Although Alvarez is very young, 22 years old, he has many fights under his belt and is far more experienced than most his age.
He also had a rough fight his last time out against Austin "No Doubt" Trout, a left-handed, defensively sound fighter capable of making punchers look bad. At times Trout did just that to Alvarez, and it served as good preparation for the pound-for-pound king.
In recent interviews Alvarez discussed a bit of his training going into the biggest fight of his career. "I think I'm going to have to train with guys that are my size, so they will be able to take my punch," he said. "Obviously they have to have the same style that Floyd has and the same attributes that Floyd has."
Canelo, the naturally larger fighter also said he will scale back on his usage of weights, so that he isn't so bulky against the cat-quick Mayweather.
Additionally, Alvarez said he will not allow Mayweather's mouth to distract him from his training, or draw him out of his game plan. "I'm ready for this fight. I can handle the pressure. I take everything very serious and Floyd can do whatever he wants."
The highly anticipated fight does not carry the same magnitude as a bout with Manny Pacquiao would have a few years ago, but Alvarez is currently the most exciting fighter Mayweather could have as an opponent.
The old saying "styles makes fights" applies here. Alvarez is the bruising pressure fighter, while "Money" makes his living by confounding opponents, countering and being impossible to hit.
With Alvarez coming at him, he must be as elusive as ever.
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