On Sept 14, two boxing giants, Floyd Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will step into the same ring to determine who will be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Hence, the fight has been dubbed “The One,” a term likely created by Mayweather to solidify his claim as the sport’s top fighter, that is, if he prevails with a victory. Both fighters come into the highly anticipated matchup without a single loss on their professional records. Mayweather owns a record of 44-0 (26 KO’s) and his counterpart Alvarez holds a record of 42-0-1 (30 KO’s). With less experience against higher quality opponents, Alvarez has been labeled as the underdog in the fight. At 23, Alvarez is a hungry, young fighter, and he will have to rely heavily on his size, strength and power. He has been touted as the most viable option to oppose boxing’s proclaimed best fighter. Mayweather, as always, will have to rely on his speed, elusiveness, and smart boxing IQ to frustrate Alvarez in an effort to pull out a win.
In April, Alvarez took on his toughest opponent to date, in Austin Trout, where he won a competitively fought battle by unanimous decision. The fight propelled Alvarez’s name recognition, as boxing’s biggest fight eventually came to fruition. However, it was not always smooth sailing, as we can see with the promotional aspect of the sport. The Trout-Alvarez fight was initially intended to be placed on the undercard of a Mayweather fight in May against Robert Guerreo, but ultimately fell through. Without a guarantee to fight Mayweather next, Alvarez refused to sign on for the fight. Alvarez, who has fought on many of Mayweather’s undercards in the past, has built his reputation as being one of Mexico’s next great fighters. A natural junior middleweight, Alvarez will meet at an agreed upon catch weight of 152 pounds, two pounds below the weight class’s actual weight. Mayweather has fought two other times at junior middleweight, but typically fights at welterweight (147 pounds), which is why his camp probably preferred to fight at a compromised weight.
The billed title “The One” also holds other significance, as the fight will look to draw big revenue from pay-per-view buys. The matchup is considered to be the most anticipated fight since an earlier Mayweather fight, when he squared off against boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. That fight had 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, as casual boxing fans felt compelled to watch a fight with such star power. While Canelo does not have as much star power as De La Hoya had at the time of the 2007 fight, he is expanding his fan base with each boxing match and has a massive following in Mexico. The event aspires to achieve the number one spot of becoming the most watched boxing fight of all time, a tall task to accomplish. Perhaps one early indicator of this possibility is that Mayweather has already been guaranteed to make at least 41.5 million from the event, a record-breaking figure, set by himself in an earlier fight. Aside from a Mayweather-Pacquiao matchup that would have produced astronomical pay-per-view buys and would have certainly shattered the 2.4 million mark, this fight has the next best shot.
While the fight was going to produce huge numbers initially, an unexpected undercard was added more recently that had the potential to be its own super fight. Junior welterweight and Philadelphia native Danny Garcia, 26-0 (16 KO’s), will be pitted against the Argentinean knockout artist, Lucas Matheyesse, 34-2 (32 KO’s). Expect this matchup to be a war of fists, as this fight will likely have more action than the main event (do not be surprised if a knockout in devastating fashion occurs). Furthermore, this fight could also set up a future matchup with Floyd Mayweather, if he is to win the main event. This additional fight will undoubtedly bolster pay- per-view numbers.
As mentioned earlier, the notion of young vs. old and strength vs. speed, among other contrasting qualities, help perpetuate the caliber of this fight. In addition, many consider Alaverz to be a quality opponent for Mayweather, something many analysts have questioned in his recent fights. Some say Mayweather has a tendency to duck good fighters in their prime, but not in this case. This fight is an intriguing matchup worth watching, not only for the fighting aspect, but for the rarity of the promotional aspect not being a roadblock. So grab your popcorn and sit back, as we find out who is number one.
Evan Smith is a fourth-year student majoring in political science and minoring in communications. He can be reached at ES777403@wcupa.edu.
Thu. May 9th, 2024
