By Jake Donovan
It’s stating the obvious that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was always going to look better against Alfredo Angulo than versus Erislandy Lara.
Angulo was the opponent of choice for Alvarez following the lone loss of his professional career, which came at the swift hands of unbeaten pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather last September. In his first fight back, Alvarez looked sharp against a crude brawler, forcing Angulo into submission in the 10th round of their bout this past March.
It was anything but easy against Lara on Saturday evening. Alvarez struggled early with the Cuban’s stick-and-move style, but was able to cut off the ring and apply pressure in the second half of their bout to take a 12-round split decision.
“This is not the fight I expected,” Alvarez (44-1-1, 31KOs) stated afterward. “I wanted to give the people here a great fight. He ran more when he had the cut. He didn't come to fight. He came to run. I respect him but he has to learn to throw more punches.”
Lara’s decision to move around the ring while allowing his offensive output to decline ultimately cost him a winnable fight. He still retains his alphabet title at super welterweight, as the fight took place at a catchweight of 155 lb., which is what both fighters came in at during Friday’s weigh-in.
Alvarez added 16 lb. overnight, coming into the ring at 171 lb. Each of his past two fights have taken place at a contracted limit of 155 lb. (in the event of the Angulo fight, a modified contract at the last minute), fueling speculation that the Mexican superstar plans to eventually move up to the middleweight division.
One such fight that awaits is a matchup fans have clamored for years – a showdown with Miguel Cotto, who recently dethroned long-reigning middleweight king Sergio Martinez this past June. Such a bout would fit perfectly into the mold of traditional Puerto Rico (Cotto) vs. Mexico (Alvarez) in-ring rivalries, though Alvarez remains non-committal to his future plans.
“Right now I will rest; then we will see what the future holds,” Alvarez said when presented with the possibility of such a fight in November, his rumored ring return. “My birthday is coming (he turns 24 on July 18), and we are going to enjoy it.”
The win over Lara marked Alvarez’ third consecutive pay-per-view headliner dating back to last year’s loss to Mayweather, which went on to become the highest grossing event in boxing history. Plans for a fall ring return are also expected to come a la carte, in line with the announced plans at the start of the year that he would fight three times on pay-per-view in 2014.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
