Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
On Saturday night the biggest fight in Mexican history will go down. It pits Big Time Boxing's seventh ranked pound-for-pound fighter, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez up against Mexican royalty in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez. The two fighters are scheduled to go 12 rounds but no title will be on the line. What will be on the line will be a special WBC belt made specifically for this fight, a belt Alvarez has said he won't accept should he win. The last time Alvarez was in the ring he fought as a junior middleweight while Chavez fought as a super middleweight. This fight will be a catchweight bout at 164.5 pounds with the winner getting serious bragging rights in Mexico.
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| "Canelo" landing an uppercut on Liam Smith |
Alvarez works out of the orthodox stance behind a stiff jab. That jab, which he likes to put a lot behind, helps set up the rest of his offensive attack. Usually Alvarez doesn't like to take the lead though and he has developed into an excellent counter puncher. His best punch is his left hook and he can do damage with it upstairs or to the body. Along with the left hook Alvarez also has a good right hand which he will throw straight or over the top. Alvarez's only real issue is his movement. His feet are slow and he doesn't move that well in the ring but he makes up for those defensive deficiencies by having an excellent chin that can withstand seemingly any punch.
Alvarez has never had a fought over the weight limit of 155 pounds so this will be the highest weight he's fought. However, he usually enters the ring around 175 pounds so he shouldn't have any serious issues with the weight. It will be interesting to see if he adds his usual 20 pounds after the weigh in because should he do that on Saturday he would enter the ring weighing 184.5 pounds, definitely the heaviest of his career. That career has been a great one so far and Alvarez has run his record to 48-1-1 with a strong 34 knockouts and his lone loss came at the incredibly skilled hands of Floyd Mayweather. Among Alvarez's victims are names like Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, and Amir Khan. So while Chavez may not be his best opponent he is certainly a dangerous one.
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| Chavez Jr. attacking the body of Dominik Britsch |
The antics of Chavez have been well documented. He hasn't always trained hard and hasn't been very disciplined but by most accounts his took this training camp, with legendary trainer Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, seriously. Chavez is an orthodox fighter who loves to attack the body. He has a stiff jab and that punch could be a really good weapon from the outside he only he used it more. Instead Chavez often comes forward behind a high guard and a great chin that only let him down against a much bigger fighter in Andrzej Fonfara. Once he gets inside Chavez shows a strong left hook and he also throws a good overhand right. However, he doesn't use his feet well and usually stands in the pocket right in front of his opponent.
Chavez didn't have any amateur career at all so what he has been able to do as a professional is definitely impressive. He has wins over John Duddy, Andy Lee, and Brian Vera, among others and almost knocked Sergio Martinez out in the final round of a fight he was badly losing up until that point. His other loss came against Fonfara but Chavez had moved up to light heavyweight for that fight, clearly a mistake. Chavez's career record is 50-2-1 with a solid 32 knockouts and he will definitely be the bigger man come Saturday night as he stands 4-inches taller than Alvarez.
Both Alvarez and Chavez should be ready and excited for this fight. This will be the biggest fight in Mexico's history and these guys simply don't like each other. Both fighters have ripped each other publicly and both will probably be looking to take the other's head off. Look for Chavez to take the lead as he tries to force his way into the pocket where he can really attack the body of Alvarez with left hooks and try to hurt him upstairs with overhand rights. As for Alvarez, he isn't one to shy away from a phone booth fight and he will look to pick his spots to counter and hurt Chavez. Whoever wins this fight may just be the one who can withstand the most punishment and let their hands go more often, especially late.
PREDICTION: If he isn't too drained from making weight than Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, could give Saul "Canelo" Alvarez some serious problems, especially with his body attack. Lately though Alvarez has been fighting a much higher level of opposition and he has become a mainstay on the top 10 pound-for-pound list. This will be a close, competitive fight but it will be Alvarez who comes away with the unanimous decision victory.
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