Boxing’s history is richer than that of perhaps any other sport. Yet despite the pantheon of great fighters, there is a lineage of stars who have come to define their era. Until recently, we were living in the Mayweather-Pacquiao era, before that it was Oscar De La Hoya’s sport, while Mike Tyson largely reigned supreme from the days of the Four Kings to the ascension of the Golden Boy.
In the aftermath of May’s underwhelming Mayweather-Pacquiao extravaganza, most boxing fans were keen to close the book on the Mayweather-Pacquiao era then and there. Even though that fight turned out to be disappointing, that disappointment was tempered with relief. The fight had to happen, and thankfully it did. The page could now be turned and thoughts began to drift towards the future of boxing. With the Mayweather-Pacquiao era confined to the rear view mirror, which fighter or fighters would come to define the next few years in the sport?
Among the pack of hopefuls jostling for position, there were two clear favourites; middleweight king Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Mexico’s popular and maturing prodigy, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Hopes were high that these two exciting fighters could usher in the dawn of a new era in boxing. Canelo and GGG both fought on HBO PPV in the last 6 weeks and although both emerged victorious, May’s sunny optimism has been dampened by some cold November rain.
Golovkin was the first to showcase his talents this autumn, making his long-awaited PPV debut against the hard-hitting but limited Canadian David Lemieux. It is little more than 3 years since Golovkin was introduced to U.S. audiences against Grzegorz Proksa at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in upstate New York back in September 2012. In the 38 or so months since, he has steadily built up a solid fan base as well as becoming the consensus best middleweight fighter in the sport.
He may appear to be an angelic choir boy outside the ring, quick with a smile and polite, almost child-like, in his interviews. But once the bell rings he becomes a heavy-handed, technically proficient, relentless hunter. He cuts off the ring better than anyone else in the sport and the accuracy of his punches has repeatedly seen opponents broken down by the continuous barrage of hard, accurate blows.
Riding a 21 fight knockout streak, Golovkin promises action and, unlike others, he always delivers on that promise. But stardom does not always grace those most deserving of it. It is impossible to escape the reality that his PPV debut was a commercial disappointment. Despite selling out Madison Square Garden, the event only generated around 150,000 PPV buys. Not a terrible debut performance, but certainly at the lower end of pre-fight expectations. It seems that despite his almost cult-like popularity among fight-fans, Golovkin still lacks mainstream cross-over appeal.
At 33, time is not on his side. His all-action style and penchant for knocking people out will continue to sell tickets and he has come a long way in the 3 years since his American debut, but the ceiling on his star potential has been lowered significantly. He could grow to become a fighter who generates regular, solid PPV numbers but he won’t become an era-defining fighter. Nor is he likely to progress from being a boxing star to the status of “sports star”.
Canelo is a different story. As an exciting, young Mexican fighter, he comes with a built-in fan base. He has been a fighting for a living since the age of 15 and has risen through the ranks with a confidence to take on all comers. Shortly after his 23rd birthday, he suffered his first professional loss at the hands of Floyd Mayweather. But despite the one-sided defeat, his willingness to face the pound-for-pound king at such an early age, coupled with the fight selling 2.2 million PPV buys confirmed his status as perhaps the star of the future.
Pay-per-view buys continue to come easily to Canelo, his recent showdown with Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto reportedly sold over 900,000 buys. In that fight, Canelo claimed the WBC, The Ring and the lineal middleweight titles with a unanimous decision but despite the result, fans of the flame-haired Mexican warrior should be growing anxious.
This fight exposed once again the fact that Canelo may be a great attraction but he is not a great boxer. The veteran Cotto was clearly the more skilled technician and Canelo largely relied on his size advantage to claim victory. Cotto is barely a light-middleweight while Canelo reportedly entered the ring at close to 175 pounds so although he was often out-boxed, Alvarez was able to walk through Cotto’s punches to land the more telling blows.
Canelo is far from a poor fighter however. In fact, he is quite a well-rounded boxer. Apart from his occasionally plodding footwork, he does most things well. He showed some impressive defence against Cotto and he can put together some slick combinations. The problem is that despite not having a glaring weakness, he also lacks any outstanding strength.
Great fighters always have a couple outstanding attributes, a few skills or abilities they know they can rely upon, areas where they can be confident that no potential foe can match them. Canelo appears to lack this trump card. He lacks any one outstanding attribute; he can box but can be out-boxed, he can punch but isn’t the biggest hitter, he’s quick but not the quickest. In short, he’s good but not great.
At 25, there is still the possibility that he could improve. He should only be on the verge of entering his prime. But with Canelo that may not be the case. When it comes to age in boxing, it’s certainly true that you are “only as old as you feel”. And with Canelo, you get the sense that he feels a lot older than 25. He may be young but he is now a veteran of 48 professional bouts. There are already a lot of miles on Canelo’s clock.
A unification showdown between the two middleweight stars has been much talked about in recent months. It is a fight both fighters claim to want and to his credit, Canelo has never previously shied away from a challenge. For Gennady Golovkin, the lure of the fight is obvious. He would be presented with a career-high payday, a chance to claim Canelo’s share of middleweight gold and taking part in his first really big fight would give GGG’s steadily growing fan base a significant bump.
For Canelo and promoter Oscar De La Hoya however, the decision is more perilous. Should Alvarez win that fight, he would earn the kind of legitimacy that could lead him to become an era-defining star. But their recent performances strongly suggest that Gennady Golovkin comfortably wins that fight. Not only that, but GGG is such a destructive puncher, De La Hoya will be wary of the effect a punishing fight with Triple G could have on the longevity of Canelo’s career.
Combined, Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez have the makings of an ideal heir to boxing’s throne. Triple G is the hard-hitting, genuine talent who deserves to be at the top of the sport. Canelo has the youth, the fan base and the daring attitude needed to make big fights and cross over into mainstream sports appeal for years to come. However alone, neither possesses the tools to become the next era-defining star of boxing.
As a result, the search must continue to find the star or stars who will define the next era. The likes of Errol Spence Jnr and Felix Verdejo have the talent and potential to become stars but both have a long way to go before they can even dream of becoming mainstream crossover attractions.
Perhaps most interestingly, Tyson Fury’s upset victory over Wladimir Klitschko last Saturday night has reinvigorated the stagnant heavyweight division. With popular and exciting heavyweights like Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua also on the scene, as well as up-and-coming prospects like New Zealand’s Joseph Parker, could the next era of boxing be defined by the return to favour of the sport’s marquee division?
– Michael McCarthy / @Mlmcc86
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