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After the end of the pre-fight marching band and the endless speeches on the rehydration sentence and clauses that are part of ancient history, Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs will finally end up in the ring on Saturday to determine the best middleweight boxer in the world.
The long-awaited unification fight at 160 pounds makes the front page of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (9 pm ET, watch exclusively on DAZN) as Alvarez (51-1-2, 35 KO) puts his WBA, WBC and linear titles against Jacobs' IBF crown (35-2, 29 KO's) into play.
Although Alvarez, 28, remains a big favorite in sports betting (at least in part because of his favored past of judges), the fight has everything to do with one of the most dangerous of his career, considering Jacobs' combination of speed, power and athleticism.
"It will be a very difficult fight, especially during the first laps," said Alvarez. "Until I start adapting and imposing my style, it will be a tough fight because of his style."
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Alvarez, the Mexican star ranked among the best fighters in the world, pound-to-pound, will give up three inches in height and almost as much in the reach of Jacobs, 32, who is among the highest average weight. the sport has to offer. Still, it's Jacobs' ability to change position on the fly that makes him such a real underdog and helped him push Gennady Golovkin to the 12-round limit for the first time in his fight disputed in 2017.
"I do not know what we're going to do about the move to Southpaw, because we may not need to move to Southpaw," Jacobs said. "He may not be able to overtake my jab, I could be very effective at staying orthodox and using my combinations of this position." When I change left-handed, sometimes it's just to give a fighter a look different and to get more benefit from this position because it takes them a lot more time to join me.
"I'm so long, and when I'm sitting on that back foot, I'm even longer to reach, Canelo Alvarez has shorter arms, so there's so much we can go to. a plan B and all the way to plan Z. "
To the credit of Alvarez, he pointed to his close wins against Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara in title fights at the junior middleweights to prove that the laws of the south were "not complicated for me" because of its ability to adapt to all styles. He also publicly doubted that Jacobs, as a southpaw, could be as effective as he is orthodox, even going so far as to say that it is "impossible".
While Alvarez often asserts how his resume is decorated to cope with every imaginable style, it's interesting to wonder if he's ever fought anybody his age who is also dangerous.
"We know the risk of this fight, and it's a high-risk fight," Alvarez said. "A fighter from my experience, from my level, must adapt and know how to adapt at all levels.I have experience.I have fought larger fighters , longer, bigger, that's what we prepared for.We had the right training partners, with similar styles.I have the ability to adapt to "Any fighter, and that's what I'm ready to do."
As the fight gets closer, Jacobs has become less willing to complain about the story of Alvarez's ruling. Along with identifying the activity as a key factor in influencing Saturday's judges, Jacobs also shared his willingness to make the decision of his hands if he was able to stop Alvarez.
The problem with this idea is that Alvarez has been extremely resistant throughout his career, especially with an iron chin that he highlighted in two full fights against Golovkin. Jacobs has already been arrested as a professional and Alvarez, who has raised his power to the average weight, thinks it could very well happen again.
"In boxing, anything can happen, including knockouts," Alvarez said. "If it's there, trust me, I'll go to the knockout, I do not care if it's bigger, stronger, it never bothered me." J & # 39; have the ability .I have experience to overcome this and more. "
Tale of the band
|
Nickname |
Canelo |
Man miracle |
|
Record |
51-1-2 (35 KOs) |
35-2 (29 KOs) |
|
The titles |
WBA, WBC, linear average weight |
IBF average weight |
|
Age |
28 |
32 |
|
size |
5 feet 9 |
5 feet 11 |
|
reach |
70.5 inches |
73 inches |
|
Position |
Orthodox |
Orthodox |
|
Hometown |
Guadalajara, Mexico |
Brooklyn, New York |
|
Best wins |
Gennady Golovkin (MD, 2018) Miguel Cotto (UD12, 2015), Erislandy Lara (SD12, 2014), Austin Trout (UD12, 2013) |
Caleb Truax (TKO12, 2015), Sergio Mora (TKO2, 2015), Peter Quillin (TKO1, 2015), Luis Arias (UD, 2017) |
|
Notable losses |
Floyd Mayweather (MD, 2013) |
Dimitry Pirog (TKO5, 2010), Gennady Golovkin (UD, 2017) |
|
odds |
-500 |
+375 |
What is at stake
Alvarez puts his WBC, WBA and linear titles in play against Jacobs' IBF crown. Not only would Alvarez want to be considered the world's best book in the sport with a win, but Jacobs would likely rank in the top 10's he was able to sneak.
On the commercial front, Alvarez will certainly not miss the pressure to win against DAZN after signing a historic $ 365 million contract for ten fights last fall. An Alvarez victory would mean an even bigger business for the multisport streaming application in the probable form of a third fight between Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin this fall.
If Jacobs was offended, Alvarez would have the option of a rematch clause and would most likely be opposed to the riposte later this year.
Who has the edge?
1. Power: Both men have decisive fighting power, although Jacobs, who has knocked out almost 80% of his opponents, has not finished his fight for three years. However, Jacobs is naturally taller and certainly has enough pop, especially when he throws combinations, to discipline Alvarez and force him to make adjustments. The X factor in terms of power in this fight could become Alvarez's brutal bodily attack, which he had used to end up as Liam Smith and Rocky Fielding in recent years. Given the stakes of this fight and the hardness of the two, a knockout is not necessarily likely, especially since both fighters have traveled the distance with a big puncher in GGG. But the two have enough to end early if their opponent becomes reckless. Edge: same
2. speed: From the point of view of the speed of the hand, it's a category that could be closer than people realize. Although Alvarez was far from fast as a junior middleweight, his timing improved tremendously and a move of up to 160 pounds allowed him to beat his opponents regularly, including Golovkin. The difference in speed between the two however boils down to athletics and footwork. Alvarez catches up a painful footwork by being so elusive with his upper torso that fists his fists. But Jacobs, who can easily switch positions, is the much more fluid and naturally explosive fighter. Edge: Jacobs
3. technique: From the beginning of his career, Alvarez refused to follow the pattern of a stereotypical Mexican fighter such as Julio Cesar Chavez, father, introducing himself as he pleased, which allowed him to improve his art at as it matures. As a counter-puncher, he is brilliant using angles and timing to achieve hard shots. His coach, Eddy Reynoso, also deserves a ton of credit for the evolution of Alvarez. Jacobs was a high level amateur and is certainly one of the best boxers of the moment. But he also becomes sometimes sloppy and relies on his physical advantages to conquer. Edge: Alvarez
4. Defense: Although none of the fighters is considered reckless or defensive technique, Jacobs can fall in love too sometimes by letting his hands go with tight suits without protecting his guard. In this case, the edge goes to Alvarez who is very underrated in his ability to slip shots and avoid the dominant hand of his opponent. Edge: Alvarez
5. Intangibles: There is simply no debate about who has more experience on such a brilliant stage than Alvarez has regularly titled the two biggest boxing weekends in Las Vegas. But Jacobs proved against GGG during a chain fight at Madison Square Garden in New York that he could still improve his game when the pressure was high. Yes, it is impossible to avoid the inherent benefit of Alvarez judges in tight fights. But it's also hard to miss the inspiring journey that Jacobs has taken since its fight against cancer and its determination to reach the pinnacle of sport. Sometimes such good stories produce the kind of performances and happy ends that belie the chances of success. Edge: Jacobs
Prediction
Sometimes, in the sport, great stories that imply a happy ending will simply allow them to achieve such a destiny. Boxing, from a historical point of view, has not been different. What it's like George Foreman, 45, knocking out Michael Moorer, Evander Holyfield will overcome heart problems and become a major underdog to upset Mike Tyson or Tyson Fury will triumph over addiction and drug abuse. Obesity and will try to save from the attack against Deontay Wilder one could say that there was an almost supernatural force at play to bring each fighter to performances that most did not see coming.
Although Jacobs has managed to defeat cancer and become the first boxer to win this title and win a world title, his career still lacks a decisive victory and a performance in which all his many talents were perfectly mixed in one night.
On the physical side, Jacobs has all the tools to cause problems to Alvarez. More importantly, he has the kind of power that Alvarez, even with his iron chin, will have to respect.
Alvarez is not the first marketable fighter to have long enjoyed a favorable judgment during close-quarters fights. Even Alvarez's promoter, Hall of Fame member Oscar De La Hoya, has had the benefit of the doubt in the crucial preliminary fights against Pernell Whitaker and Ike Quartey. Yet even De La Hoya has finally found himself on the wrong side of highly controversial decisions against personalities like Felix Trinidad and in his revenge with Shane Mosley.
If the judgment clause and the 170-pound rehydration clause negotiated in the contract by Alvarez play a role as minor as that predicted by Jacobs during the week of combat, this fight could result in the boxer being able to better balance his activity. with powerful strokes. Given the stakes and the incredible journey he has made to reach such a brilliant milestone, it's hard to ignore all that Jacobs has in terms of physical benefits in just about close to all categories.
Nothing less than the fight of his life would give Jacobs such an end of storybook. But after watching him fight for his life with such courage, defeating Alvarez is a task that seems within everyone's reach. Make sure you clear your schedule for September as we will see this one again.
To choose: Jacobs by shared decision
Who wins Alvarez against Jacobs? And which choice that pays 33-1 is a must-back? Now head to SportsLine to see Peter Kahn's powerful choice between Alvarez and Jacobs, all from the boxing expert who won 20-1 over the draw in the first GGG-Canelo bout.
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