By Chris Robinson
Despite asking several boxing figures for their thoughts on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez super fight, I’ve had trouble finding anyone who gives the young champion from Jalisco, Mexico a clear edge in the matchup.
Mayweather’s combination of ring acumen, experience, and talent are just too much for most people to overlook despite all of Alvarez’s upside as a prizefighter.
During a recent swing through the Indio Boys and Girls Club in Southern California, I was able to get some input on the fight from one of the hottest names in the sport, Lucas Matthysse, and the Argentinean’s answers did surprise me a bit.
The WBC interim junior welterweight champion at 140 pounds, Matthysse will face off with WBA/WBC champion Danny Garcia on the Mayweather-Alvarez undercard on Sept. 14 inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
When asked who he favors in a Mayweather-Alvarez duel, Matthysse hesitated just a bit.
“That’s a very good fight,” said Matthysse. “Very difficult. 50/50.”
Curious for his reasoning, I asked Matthysse if it is Canelo’s size, with him being a natural junior middleweight, that makes him feel he has a real shot.
“I think so,” Matthysse added. “He’s very young, very intelligent, and he’s big. He’s going to give him a lot of problems. It’s a very difficult fight.
“He always fights with fighters who are much smaller than him,” Matthysse added of Mayweather. “This one’s a little [different], because he’s a fighting at natural 154-pounder.”
During his open media workout in Big Bear last week, Alvarez confirmed that he had been studying footage of Miguel Cotto’s bout with Mayweather from May of last year.
In that fight, Cotto gave a spirited effort and had moments of success by attacking Mayweather’s body and pinning him along the ropes. Still, in the face of adversity, Mayweather was able to show himself the superior fighter to Cotto as he collected a unanimous decision victory over twelve rounds.
Matthysse is familiar with the fight and spoke on Cotto’s performance.
“He did a good fight,” stated Matthysse. “Cotto hit him a lot of times. It was difficult.”
Mayweather, however, has seemed amused by the fact that Alvarez had been studying his melee with Cotto.
“Only thing he can learn from the Cotto fight is how to lose,” Mayweather stated during a recent conference call to discuss the fight.
Sept. 14 can’t come soon enough.
