Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Saul Alvarez

Facing an up-and-coming superstar before they have reached their full potential is a smart move. Floyd Mayweather Jr added Saul Alvarez’s World Boxing Council and Ring light-middleweight championships to his World Boxing Association title by winning a majority decision over 12 rounds at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The majority verdict was the only surprise. Craig Metcalfe scored the contest 117–111 and Dave Moretti 116–112 for Mayweather, while C.J. Ross returned a 114–114 card. Ross’s judgment was greeted with disbelief after a contest in which Mayweather had plainly controlled the distance, landed twice as many punches and left Alvarez without an effective answer.

The match was contested at a contractual limit of 152lb, two pounds below the usual light-middleweight maximum. Alvarez weighed exactly 152lb, and Mayweather was announced at 150½lb. Kenny Bayless was the referee. Mayweather, 36, entered with 44 victories and no defeats, while the 23-year-old Alvarez was unbeaten in 43 contests. An announced crowd of 16,746 filled the arena, with the Mexican champion receiving the louder support. The paid gate exceeded $20 million, then a Nevada record, and Mayweather was guaranteed $41.5 million before his share of the additional revenue.

Alvarez’s advantages were youth, strength and natural size, but he could not bring them into operation. Both men began by testing with the jab, with Alvarez also throwing occasional rights to the body. Mayweather gave only enough ground to make the younger man reach, then stepped back into range with a jab of his own. In the second, he continued striking the body and head with the left before moving away from Alvarez’s wider replies. The Mexican pursued without cutting off the ring and was repeatedly obliged to reset his feet.

Mayweather became more positive in the third, landing consecutive right hands and taking the initiative from Alvarez. The speed difference was already evident, but the greater distinction lay in preparation. Mayweather seldom punched without placing himself to avoid the return, whereas Alvarez frequently loaded his right hand before he had established the proper distance. In the fourth, Mayweather snapped his head back with another right. Alvarez answered with a low blow and received a warning from Bayless. The incident did not become a continuing problem, although it disclosed some early frustration.

By the fifth, Mayweather had settled completely into his work. He doubled the jab, drove the straight right between Alvarez’s gloves and struck downstairs before turning away. Redness and swelling began to appear on Alvarez’s face. The younger champion tried to quicken the pace in the sixth and landed occasional rights, but most of his heavier punches struck Mayweather’s arms or missed as the American bent at the waist and slipped away. Alvarez briefly lifted and carried Mayweather towards the ropes during one untidy exchange, another sign that strength alone was not securing him a useful position.

The seventh was one of Mayweather’s clearest rounds. He used a triple jab, followed it with a right to the body and then brought a right uppercut through the centre. Alvarez was not badly hurt, but he was being struck cleanly while finding little in return. In the eighth he managed some better work to the body and forced Mayweather towards the ropes. His success was short. Mayweather moved out before Alvarez could sustain the attack and landed two firm right hands as the Mexican continued advancing.

Mayweather’s accuracy was particularly marked in the ninth. He struck Alvarez with straight rights and combinations to the head, then resumed the jab whenever the younger man attempted to gather himself. Alvarez’s movement was slowing, and his attacks were increasingly isolated. In the tenth he landed a solid right and later drove Mayweather towards the ropes, but Mayweather escaped without accepting a prolonged exchange. Four successive jabs underlined his command of a contest which Alvarez was now unlikely to retrieve without a knockdown.

Alvarez worked with greater urgency during parts of the 11th and found the body and head with a few sound punches when Mayweather stood closer. The American absorbed them calmly, slipped the follow-up blows and returned to open space. In the final round Alvarez continued pursuing, but his opponent’s jab and footwork kept him from constructing a decisive attack. Mayweather moved freely during the closing seconds and reached the bell without having been knocked down, cut or seriously shaken.

The recorded punch totals confirmed what had occurred. Mayweather landed 232 of 505 attempts, including 139 jabs, while Alvarez connected with 117 of 526 and only 44 jabs. Mayweather’s overall accuracy was 46 per cent against Alvarez’s 22 per cent. Moretti awarded Alvarez the third, ninth, 11th and 12th rounds; Metcalfe gave him the second, tenth and 12th. Ross found six rounds for each boxer, awarding Alvarez the first, third, eighth, ninth, 11th and 12th. Her card altered the official description from a unanimous to a majority decision but did not represent the course of the match. She stepped away from judging duties several days later.

Mayweather had not overcome Alvarez through movement alone. He repeatedly beat him to the punch, stood within range when it suited him and made the stronger man hesitant by countering almost every poorly prepared advance. Alvarez remained composed and durable, but his methods were too deliberate for an opponent who read the action so quickly. He admitted afterwards that he had been unable to catch Mayweather and had grown frustrated in the later rounds.

The promotion sold approximately 2.2 million pay-per-view subscriptions and generated about $150 million in domestic pay-per-view revenue, surpassing the previous revenue record established by Mayweather’s match with Oscar De La Hoya. Those figures made the occasion commercially exceptional; the boxing itself was much simpler. Alvarez brought an unbeaten record, two championships and considerable physical strength. Mayweather removed each advantage by controlling where and when the exchanges occurred, giving one of the most complete performances of his championship career.