Saul Canelo Alvarez's resume is one of the brightest in boxing today. Considering only absolute titlist who have already had that status at the time of facing him, the Mexican superstar has fought 16 world champions in a 17-year career. Dmitry Bivol will be number 17 on his list when he challenges him for his Light heavyweight World title on May 7. Can the Russian pull off the upset?
So far, only the legendary Floyd Mayweather Jr., a five-division World Champion, has been able to beat Canelo in sixty fights held so far: that happened in September 2013. And he did it with a master class of "hit and don't get hit", but to be honest, he didn't hurt Alvarez.
In fact, that is one of the great milestones in the career of the first ever Undisputed World Super middleweight Champion. He has never visited the canvas. Hard punchers like Shane Mosley, Callum Smith, Daniel Jacobs and Gennady Golovkin have hit him mercilessly and not even staggered him. However, there was only one occasion when Canelo Alvarez was hurt. This is the story that Dmitry Bivol should read as a source of inspiration for his battle with Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena.
Canelo Alvarez is presented in the elite of world boxing
The MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada was experiencing another of its great boxing nights. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought Shane Mosley on May 5, 2010. On the undercard, the name of the Mexican Saul Canelo Alvarez appeared for the first time in the United States, who at only 20 years of age, faced Jose Miguel Cotto, brother of Miguel Angel, the historic Puerto Rican world champion.
With Oscar de la Hoya behind him as his promoter and Eddy and Chepo Reynoso in his corner, the then unknown Canelo Alvarez was presented as one of the great promises of Mexican boxing. His 31-0-1 record was impressive for his age. So it was time for Alvarez to step into the ring against Cotto in a Super Welterweight fight.
An eventful, but successful debut for Canelo Alvarez in the U.S.
It was round 1 of the fight and 33-year-old Jose Miguel Cotto came into the fight with almost as much boxing experience as Alvarez, 31-1-1 despite the 13-year age difference. Fans were witnessing the classic studio episode when the two fighters engaged in an exchange of punches, a banged up Canelo missed a right hand that left him vulnerable, which Cotto took advantage of to land a destructive left hook to his head.
The impact rocked the very young Canelo Alvarez and sent him backwards. Had it not been for the ropes that held him back, it would have been the first knockdown of the Mexican's career. Once on the ropes, the experienced Puerto Rican connected with him several times without mercy. Alvarez's head went from side to side with each impact he received and cornered him in one of the corners of the ring. It was feared the worst.
In one of the questions that Canelo himself probably couldn't answer yet, Alvarez didn't go to the ground despite the punishment. For his part, Cotto emptied his tank and let him live. Canelo looked to move away from the corner and the ropes but his legs were not responding, his steps were clumsy and slow, it was a fact that he was hurt. Luck embraced him and he ended up surviving a nightmare round.
Recovered by the pause, Canelo Alvarez gradually managed to set the pace of the fight based on his combinations. He even sent Jose Miguel Cotto to the canvas with an uppercut in the second round. The fight went on and the Mexican was gaining confidence until in the ninth round of 10 agreed, referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight to decree the victory by TKO of the native of Guadalajara.
Dmitry Bivol aims for the feat that never happened
That was the only time the first ever Undisputed Super middleweight World Champion looked vulnerable, hurt, wobbly. It will be 12 years after that when on May 7 Dmitry Bivol seeks to complete the mission that Jose Miguel Cotto left half-finished. With 11 of his 19 wins coming by way of knockout, a powerful jab, and more tonnage, Bivol hopes that will be enough for this story to be forgotten and a possible victory over Canelo Alvarez will be the one that will be told in its place.
