On yesterday afternoon, inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the official weigh-in for tonight’s Floyd Mayweather-Saul ‘Alvarez’ clash was held in front of an estimated 12,200 screaming fans.
Set to take place on Showtime pay per view later tonight, the Mayweather-Canelo extravaganza is considered one of the biggest events in the sport’s history. Judging by both fighters’ ripped physiques at their weigh-in, it was obvious that both men left very few, if any, stones unturned during their training.
Alvarez hit the 152-pound catch-weight right on the head, coming in at exactly 152 pounds, while Mayweather hit the scales at 150 and one half pounds.
And while Alvarez’s upper body was more shredded than in previous fight, not everyone is convinced that the young titlist from Mexico is in the best of shape.
Super middleweight champion Andre Ward believes that Canelo’s struggles to cut weight were evident after studying his demeanor.
“Canelo didn’t look good yesterday,” Ward stated, speaking from the Fashion Show Mall during a meet and greet for the fans on Saturday afternoon. “It’s a big fight and you come that close to your opponent; you saw how Floyd was hyped up, full of energy. Even if you don’t have energy because you’re making weight, like I’ve never seen a guy go on a stage and sit down.
“That concerned me, that even if he blows up tonight, the back half of the twelve round fight is where I think Mayweather is going to step on the gas and it could get ugly,” Ward added.
Ward then issued a bold statement, hinting that an eventual TKO may be in store for Mayweather.
“It’s odd, because when you see that, you know this guy’s been having some serious weight issues,” said Ward. “It’s not just ‘I’m hungry, I’m a little bit dehydrated.’ There’s some serious weight issues and Floyd Mayweather is not the guy to have weight issues with when you fade down the stretch because he gets stronger. It’s kind of eyebrow-raising when I say he could potentially stop Canelo but I think a late-round stoppage is not out of the question.”
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com