Saul Alvarez, right, landing on Austin Trout this past April in San Antonio, Texas (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)
By Chris Robinson
With his May 4th victory over Robert Guerrero still fresh in everyone’s mind, Floyd Mayweather wasted little time in again shaking up the boxing world with another big announcement.
Taking to his personal Twitter account this past Wednesday, Mayweather revealed that the 45th bout of his undefeated career will be against Mexico’s Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, holder of the WBA and WBC titles at 154 pounds.
Some had expected Mayweather, who holds titles in the welterweight and junior middleweight divisions, to continue campaigning at 147 pounds in the wake of the Guerrero performance. His clash with Alvarez is looked at as one of the most dangerous of his career and that’s why everyone has been talking about this fight.
Catching up with Mayweather’s Uncle and trainer Roger inside of the Mayweather Boxing Club on Friday afternoon, there were several facets of the matchup that we discussed.
Continue reading for Roger’s thoughts on Alvarez’s abilities as a fighter, what it was like watching Floyd from ringside during the Guerrero victory, what will win his nephew the fight, and much more.
Why Alvarez’s size won’t matter…
“That’s somebody that they think can beat Floyd. It’s just somebody they believe can beat Floyd. I guess they’re going to fight at 152 pounds. Weight don’t win fights anyways. Weight won’t win this one either.”
Reflecting on Floyd’s victory over Guerrero…
“I thought Floyd beat him easy. Outpointed him, beat him easy. He maybe could have been a little more aggressive, but I heard he hurt his hand. Floyd, his Dad, and me, we train differently. Because, Floyd, with me, he’s more aggressive. He still uses skill, but he’s more aggressive. It is what it is. But this fight is going to be a little different I believe.”
Assessing ‘Canelo’…
“I’ve seen probably three fights. He’s alright. He aint no beast like they say he is. He’s a kind of aggressive guy but he tries to box too. What we’ll find out, how good can he box against a guy who can fight? I’ve seen him fight Shane Mosley. I’ve seen him fight a couple guys.”
Watching the fight from ringside as opposed to being in Floyd’s corner during the fight…
“Well, when I’m in his corner I pretty tell him what I think he should do as opposed to just watching from ringside, not telling him what to do. But that’s generally what I do. This fight wasn’t like that but the next fight, when he fights Canelo, I will be able to tell him what to do.”
Whether Floyd benefitted from having both his father and Roger in his corner during training camp…
“I’m sure he did, because his father’s been training him since he was a little kid. And I’ve been training him for the last 15, 16 years. So, he had to take something from both of us. But my thing was that he hurt his hand with Guerrero; but I thought, if he pushed, he probably would have had more impact on Guerrero. He hurt his hand, so that’s part of boxing.”
How Floyd will beat Alvarez…
“Floyd do this (pointing to his head). That’s how Floyd wins. Floyd wins because of his ability and he knows what he has to do in that ring. That’s what makes Floyd Mayweather. He knows exactly what he has to do to get that performance and that’s what it was with the other guy. Even though he hurt his hand, he still out-boxed him.”
Why Floyd needed a fight like this…
“You’ve got to understand; you cannot call yourself the best fighter in the sport if you don’t take the risk. That’s what boxing is about. In order to prove to the people that you are the best, then you have to take the risk. That’s what boxing is about. That’s no different than when Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman. George Foreman knocked out everything that was moving. But, Ali said ‘Well, hey, I’m going to fight [him]’ and he turned around and beat him. And that’s how he became so big. That’s part of boxing.”
Whether Golden Boy Promotions is hoping for Alvarez to upset Mayweather…
“Yeah. No questions they are thinking that. They are thinking that because, if he beats Floyd, or if it’s a good fight that means they still got a superstar. You’ve got something to compare with. But, Floyd is going to get ready; he’s going to get prepared to do what he needs to do.”
PLEASE CHECK OUT the interview with Roger Mawyeather below as well as other updates from the boxing world…
Roger Mayweather: ‘Canelo’ Alvarez isn’t the beast they say he is
‘Camp Life’: Ishe Smith focused in training, labels July 19th foe Carlos Molina a ‘dirty’ fighter
Jesse Magdaleno media day workout ahead of June 8th clash with Henry Maldonado
‘Camp Life’: Chris Pearson (7-0, 6 KO’s) explains recent inactivity and eyes the future
Mayweather Sr. claims that Lucas Matthysse isn’t an elite fighter; reveals why Floyd would beat him
Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com