Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez are gearing up for the biggest fight of 2013 on September 14th in Las Vegas. Unsurprisingly, other pugilists are trying to capitalize on the attention that bout is garnering, by taking their own stabs at getting Mayweather's attention.
The two loudest voices calling Floyd's name have been Manny Pacquiao, once considered Mayweather's equal, and Amir Khan, a popular British fighter with fast hands and a penchant for exciting fights.
It's clear why these two men want to fight Mayweather. They feel their skills are still elite, despite two tough losses for each man in fight fans' recent memories. More importantly, fighting Mayweather has become a mega payday thanks to Floyd elevating his stature to the sport's top draw.
Something is being overlooked, though. His challenger, "Canelo" Alvarez is an undefeated fighter himself He will walk into the ring on September 14th with a record of 42-0-1, with 30 knockouts at the age of 23.
He has become a megastar in Mexico, one of the most scorching hot beds of boxing in the entire world. He has an entire nation behind him, and poses a very serious threat of ending Mayweather's 44-fight winning streak.
So why isn't anyone calling out Canelo? Even if he loses to Mayweather, he will still be a tremendous draw. He still possesses knockout power Mayweather hasn't dreamed of. And Mayweather's next opponent is pretty much determined already.
On the September 14th undercard undefeated 140-lb. champ Danny Garcia will face another division beltholder in Lucas Matthysse; the winner of that fight will likely get the next seat on Floyd's money express.
Pacquiao's lost his last two fights and needs to win in brilliant fashion against Brandon Rios in November to even be a blip on "Money" Mayweather's radar. As for Khan, he may have won his last two fights, but he was beaten by his last two "name" opponents, Lamont Peterson and Garcia.
These types of fighters, if they truly believe in their skills, should be aiming for Canelo now. Win, and Canelo will remember his name on their tongues. Lose, they've gotten in on the ground floor with an exciting opponent who draws big crowds.
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