The Butcher
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Reports of boxing's death have been greatly exaggerated. I'm a big fan of the sweet science, and I think the biggest fight of the year merits some discussion. The weigh-in, which played out in front of the largest crowd to attend such an event, was punctuated by the Mexican Saul "Canelo" Alvarez responding in English to the question "Are you ready?" with "I was born ready."
Although Canelo is just 23, he's already a seven year veteran of the sport. His impressive 42-0-1 speaks to his experience and toughness. Personally, the young man is one of my favorite boxers today. Many question the quality of his past opposition, but his last fight against Austin Trout proved that he can go toe-to-toe with upper-echelon talent.
Floyd "Money" Mayweather's reputation precedes him. Love him or hate him (probably the latter), he's the best in the game today. Despite his flair and arrogance, he stays in top shape and even at 36 can go 12 rounds without breaking much of a sweat. His record is an unblemished 44-0, and the odds-makers are predicting that that 0 will stay right where it is.
The featured undercard fight, a lightweight tilt between Danny Garcia and Lucas Matthysse, could steal the show. Garcia is an undefeated (26-0) champion, while Matthysse's (34-2) only two losses came in split decisions against skilled fighters.
So, there it is. Feel free to discuss and make predictions.
I'm taking Alvarez to pull off the upset via unanimous decision. A little bit of wishful thinking, perhaps. To be glib, I look at this fight as the first face-off between Batman and Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Floyd will fight like a younger man and pull out all of his tricks, but Canelo will bring his speed, his ferocity, and the power of belief.
