Buy or Sell: Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs Ricardo Mayorga
by Scott Christ on Jun 20, 2011 4:47 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Jose Reynoso, the manager of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, is hoping his fighter lands a bout with Ricardo Mayorga next. Alvarez is tentatively set to return on September 17 in Mexico, perhaps sharing the pay-per-view bill with Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Victor Ortiz in a split site format.
Alvarez (37-0-1, 27 KO) scored a dominant win over Ryan Rhodes on Saturday night, and Mayorga has been a rumored opponent since Alvarez beat Matthew Hatton in March.
I don't mind the idea as a fight -- it will have action and given Mayorga's lack of defense, should be exciting and be fun to watch. But it's not competitive. Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KO) hasn't beaten a major contender fighter since his rematch win over Vernon Forrest in 2003. He's definitely fought top guys since then, but he's been stopped by Tito Trinidad, Oscar de la Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto. He can still talk, but it's been years since anyone has really taken him seriously, and no matter how many "maricons" he threatens to kill, fact is he gets pummeled against his best opponents.
If there weren't better fights out there for Alvarez, I think I'd be more on board with this, maybe even truly like it. But all I see is an "entertaining" blowout in the cards if it does happen, and it's the fight I expect will happen. Mayorga is running out of veteran names to fight on major TV, so he's probably going to have to step into this role next at age 37.
But that's just my take on it. How about yours? Buy or sell this fight?
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I voted "Buy"
Even though I expect Alvarez to win I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that he will have an easy time doing so. He is no Trinidad, De La Hoya, Mosley, or Cotto yet and I’d like to see how he deals with such an awkward wild brawler.
I like this fight because Mayorga hits hard, but...
There is something off about seeing past their prime big name fighters go from one pay per view fight to the next without winning anything in between. Like, even if you take out lesser competition I would prefer that a Vargas beat three lesser guys first to reaffirm his skill level.
This is a larger concept that just for Vargas, but if any name fighter loses I would prefer they beat three lesser names decisively before they get another big showcase. Its would be like saying you are never too old to not be a prospect if you lose, I guess, but it would take some of the sting out of what otherwise seems like mismatches.
Ah, but losing and then having to earn a title shot would affirm the idea of competition, something that boxing actively discourages.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on Jun 20, 2011 6:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Sell.
I love me some Mayorga, but come on. We all know what he can and can’t do, and right now, there’s a lot more that he can’t do than can. Canelo has the power, speed and, most importantly when dealing with a guy like Mayorga, the cool head to make this a very, very easy night. Canelo’s already looked good knocking out guys like Baldomir etc – these sorts of fights are just unnecessary now. This isn’t an ordinary 20 year old; this is a young man with incredible maturity who’s been fighting for five years, and been in there 38 times. Let’s see a challenge now, please.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on Jun 20, 2011 5:59 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Sell
There are more deserving fighters (Vanes, Trout) out there for Canelo. But we all know "deserving" means little in boxing.
However, I’ll admit the buildup would be hilarious ("I make Opie my woman", etc, etc), and Mayorga will bring it.
I'm with you.
Honestly, Bryan Vera would be a better test at this point. Not sure if he can still make 154 though.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Sell
Mayorga’s done. I like Mayorga, he’s broke and I don’t want him to be broke, but this fight sucks. Mayorga wouldn’t hit him, and he’d get his ass kicked. And can you imagine Mayorga talking shit to this kid, “Little fa****”, and whatever else he wants to say? – it would be gross.
"You can't search me without probable cause Or that proper ammunition they call reasonable suspicion Listen while I bring friction to your whole jurisdiction" - Fugees
I don’t mind this at all if it’s paired with Floyd-Ortiz, but I have no interest in seeing a card where this gets top billing. I would note that Mayorga did seem to do a lot better than many were expecting against Cotto, so while I would clearly favor Alvarez, I don’t think it would be an uninteresting bout.
Mayorga was never in danger of winning that fight against Cotto. He was down 107-102 across the board (and that was about right)
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jun 20, 2011 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions
It all depends on how you view Alvarez...
If he’s a contender, it’s sell. If you still consider Canelo a prospect, buy.
Still searching for an alive Dan Tucker.
The irony is that he is a 'Champion".
The WBC minted one just for him. And now, because we see throught the charade, we are satisfied to see him inmon can’t lose fight after another.
it would not be at all unreasonable to take the position that as champion wearing a belt, he should be taking on the best of the rest; not merely learning on the job against has-beens and/or never will bes.
When Wifredo Benitez snatched the Welterweight title at 20 years old, he fought the undefeated Sugar Ray Leonard in his secnd title defense. Less thatn thre years later he fought roberto duran and Thomas Hearns.
When Mike Tyson won his belt at 20 years old, he fought in succession the belt holder of the two ther commissions, including the likes of Bonecrusher Smith, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Tyrell Biggs,Larry holmes and Michael Spinks.
Back then, if you won a belt, you defended it against the best in line. Today, not the case.
Canelo is a bonafide prospect who will continue to be treated as such. Such is the nature of the boxing business today.
Asc long as we know it, we canand will have to live with it.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Well, to play Devil’s Advocate (and I don’t like this as a fight fan), Mayorga will be the biggest name he’s faced. Casuals know Mayorga, and even MMA fans know Mayorga from his failed Shine Fights bout against Din Thomas.
I don’t consider two less-skilled brothers of great fighters “names”, nor do I Rhodes or Baldomir. Fight-wise it’s a bummer, but for his career, it’s a smart move to get his name out there. More people know Ricardo Mayorga than Saul Alvarez, so why not?
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by BVandDietPepsi on Jun 20, 2011 11:19 PM EDT reply actions
More people know Ricardo Mayorga than Saul Alvarez
I don’t know that this is actually true anymore, and that’s not because Mayorga has dwindled, but Alvarez has quickly become very popular. It happened as soon as people saw him on the Floyd-Shane undercard. I’m not saying they watched all his fights since then, but they know who he is.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jun 21, 2011 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Buy
Mayorga’s done, but he’s still the most willing target in boxing… If anything, there’s gonna be some mixing up…
"Acting is happy agony." -Jean Paul Sartre
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