Undercard to Mosely V. Mayweather Not so Atrocious

I enjoyed reading a boxing article by Associated Content writer, Jake Emen. The article is called "Mayweather vs. Mosely Undercard Atrocious." Mr. Emen is a good boxing writer and I respect his opinions, but very often I enjoy watching boxers with less experience than can be seen in the acknowledged superstars of the sport. The following account of an undercard matchup is a case in point.

You've got to like Saul Alvarez, a thick, muscular 19 year old Mexican boxer with red hair. Lest I be accused of "profiling," let me say that I've met lots of Latinos with red hair and other features which seem striking when the ring announcer says "in this corner" is so-and-so, etc.... In this case, the so-and-so was Saul Alvarez.

Saul Alvarez' red hair would be striking even in Ireland. It's not rust- red; it's a fluorescent red, topping off a lobster-pink and very solid frame featuring strong legs and big lats. At first glance, Alvarez looked to me like a kid who couldn't move too fast, yet his speed was surprising, even in the generally speedy welterweight ranks.

Across the ring in the opponent corner was superstar Miguel Cotto's older brother, Jose Cotto, in one of the preliminaries to the Mayweather v. Mosley fight. This was supposed to be Jose Miguel Cotto's showcase fight. Jose Cotto's only previous loss was to the well-known Juan Diaz, a match which helped make Jose a "name fighter." Juan Diaz remains in the spotlight, now scheduled to fight Juan Marquez for the 2nd time.

Nobody bothered to tell the Mexican kid, Saul Alvarez, he was supposed to lose to the tough, resilient, and better known Jose Cotto. Interestingly, Alvarez had virtually no amateur experience, unless you count fighting with his five brothers. Alvarez stopped Cotto in the 9th round after delivering a solid professional performance. On his record, Saul Alvarez has 31 wins, no losses, 1 draw. Except for a single fight in Florida, in which Alvarez knocked out his opponent in the first round, this Cotto fight was Alvarez' second fight in the U.S.

There are many things to like about Alvarez. He's well-schooled, very technical, a worker bee with decent speed and power in both hands. Alvarez was geared up for the 10 rounder, the distance all his fights have been since age 17 (except for two 12 rounders). It seemed an even match, one where you might tend to be swayed toward the "name fighter" by ring-savvy insiders.

Boxing commentators Jim Lampley and Manny Stewart, covering the night's matches, were off balance in the reporting and spent a great deal of time touting Cotto. Jose Cotto was no easy tuneup; his squat, powerful body absorbs punishment without yielding, and his defenses are solid, too. Cotto marches forward with great determination, with good balance, and decent punching power, carrying the fight to Alvarez.

Alvarez never overreacted, though occasionally he got caught stepping out. While he may have been characterized as a "head hunter," Alvarez occasionally blasted to the body to good effect. With his strength, Alvarez was often able to punch through Cotto's defenses. There was method in Alvarez' steady and seemingly uninspired onslaught. Most importantly, Alvarez knew when it was time to press the attack, to see the opportunity to get rid of Cotto, touching him with a left jab and rocking him to the ropes with powerful, blazing quick rights. The ref waved Alvarez off. It was done. Mexican boxers come to America because it's where the money is made. It's widely known that, in Mexico, losers get no second chance. It's true that the names on Alvarez' victory list are largely unknown, as they are in most cases of early career boxers. Barring the unforeseen, meaning the fringe dangers of the boxing life, I would hope to see Saul Alvarez again. To other boxing hopefuls who watched the fight that night, I don't suppose Alvarez will be a popular opponent--even for America's plentiful veteran welterweights.