Mayweather vs. Canelo: Expert Predictions for Main Event
By Bleachersreport on September 12, 2013
It's the calm before the storm in Las Vegas, as the world awaits what may well be the biggest event in modern boxing history. Everything that can be said has been said, especially by the loquacious Floyd Mayweather, who often did the talking for the two as Saul "Canelo" Alvarez looked on blankly.
The time for talk, hower, is over. All that remains is the meeting of two men in the ring.
“Its fight time, what else can I say? If the game plan is to keep pressure, I can handle it. If the game plan is to out-box me, nobody can out box me," Mayweather told the media at the final press conference. "You have to be able to out match me mentally, and I’m the strongest mental fighter in the sport of boxing... I've been here before so I know what it takes. He’s 42-0, but he hasn’t faced 42 Floyd Mayweathers because he’d be 0-42. I’m at the pinnacle. I’m the face of boxing and I’m dedicated to my craft."
Boxing is among the most pure of all professional sports, answering an age-old question: Who's the toughest guy around?
If you weigh under 160 pounds, the clear answer to that question, for the last decade at least, has been Floyd Mayweather. He's entered the ring on 44 occasions and walked away 44 times with his hand raised.
But time isn't always forgiving to a fighter. Now 36 years old, Mayweather is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career. Is he ripe for an upset? Victor Ortiz and Robert Guerrero thought so, and both were easily dispatched.
Now it's Canelo's turn to test the master.
“I’ve studied him. I know his style and I know what he’s going to do," Alvarez told the media in his final appearance before the fight. “I’m confident I will win because I know everything about him. I’ve prepared for everything... It’s important from the opening bell to fight smart and not fall into his game plan. I need to stick to my plan, not fall into his."
Will the young Mexican star succeed where others have failed? Will he replace Oscar De La Hoya as the sport's baby-faced overlord?
We checked in with our staff of boxing experts to find out. Canelo or Floyd? .......