Despite Canelo Alvarez openly stating that the 152-pound catchweight for his fight with Floyd Mayweather on September 14 was not his idea and something he did only as a concession to Mayweather in order to make the fight actually happen, promoter Oscar De La Hoya is hoping to spin the weight as an advantage to Alvarez, saying it will make the 23-year-old junior middleweight titlist faster.
"People will be surprised at how fast he will be. The [catch-weight] is something that had to be done [to get the deal made]. I don't think it will affect either fighter one bit. I think on the contrary, it will probably play to Canelo's advantage. I think he will have no problem making 152. I think the way it benefits him is not only will he work harder, but he'll be faster inside the ring."
Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KO) formerly fought as a welterweight, but it's been years now, and fighters his age are in many ways still developing physically into what they'll really be at their athletic peaks. The idea that Canelo's youth will make it easier for him to lose the extra couple of pounds is, in my view, a flawed theory at best. Yes, it's hard for older fighters long established at a particular weight to go back down effectively, but that doesn't mean it's easy for someone Canelo's age to do it, either.
That said, my feeling is that Oscar is right that it won't be a major factor in the performances of either man. He notes Alvarez having already hired a nutritionist and focusing on doing this right, which is good news. We've seen what can happen when guys just crash down in weight, or overdo it, so unless Canelo screws up doing this -- which he's reportedly trying to avoid doing by getting the right assistance -- then it shouldn't be an excuse after the fight is in the books.
As for two pounds on the scales making him notably faster than he's been in the past, well, I'll call that a wait and see. Or a weight and see? Hilarious!